This Mighty Scourge

Today marks the start of the Battle of Second Manassas.  Fought on the same ground as the opening battle of the Civil War, thirteen months earlier, Second Manassas was a sanguinary battle.  To read more about the battle check out the article I wrote last year:

Battle of Second Manassas – The Fields Again Turn Red

Today is the 149th anniversary of the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, less commonly known as the Battle of Oak Hills.  Fought near Springfield, Missouri, it was the first major conflict in the Western Theater of the Civil War.  In an effort to rid Missouri of the Confederate Missouri State Guard, commanded by CSA Major General Sterling Price, US Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon determined to strike first.  Splitting his army, Lyon would send Colonel Franz Sigel’s Second Brigade on a long march to get behind Price while he attacked from the north with the rest of the Army of the West.  It would be a bitter defeat that would cost Lyon his life.  At the end of the day’s contest, over 2,300 soldiers would become casualties.

I wrote a detailed battle narrative for last year’s anniversary of the Battle of Wilson’s Creek.  You can read it by clicking on the following link.

Wilson’s Creek: The Civil War Breaks out in the West

Click HERE to view my photo essay on the Battle of Wilson’s Creek

Today marks the 125th anniversary of the death of US Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant.  Grant led the United States to victory in the Civil War and would serve two terms as President of the United States (March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1877).  While many called him a “butcher,” for his handling of troops in the Civil War, and one of the worst presidents in U.S. history, his reputation and actions are on the rebound.  For more on U.S. Grant, check out the following two articles:

Ulysses S. Grant – U.S. Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant is dead! – A Country Mourns

Today marks the 149th  anniversary of the First Battle of Bull Run.  With two months having past since the Confederate firing on Fort Sumter, President Lincoln had become impatient for action.  Having appointed US Brigadier General Irvin McDowell to command the “green” Federal Army of Northeastern Virginia, Lincoln ordered him from the environs of Washington City to attack CSA Brigadier General Pierre Gustave Tutant (P.G.T.) Beauregard’s Army of the Potomac camped near Manassas, Virginia.  Most people, north and south, believed there would be one deciding battle of the war.  No one, however, was prepared for the blood that would be shed in Northern Virginia or the ferocity of the upcoming fratricidal war.

To read my narrative of the First Battle of Bull Run, that I wrote for last year’s anniversary, click HERE.

I also have a collection of pictures, from the Manassas National Battlefield Park, which can be viewed by clicking HERE.

One hundred forty-six years ago today, US Major General William T. Sherman attacked CSA General Joseph E. Johnston’s well entrenched Army of Tennessee at Kennesaw Mountain.  This battle came after a long string of flanking maneuvers by Sherman, all aimed to uncover the coveted city of Atlanta.  I visited the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in April 2010.  The battlefield has excellent examples of field works and is wonderful to visit if you are in the Atlanta area.  It is near Marietta, Georgia and is approximately 40 minutes from the airport and 25 minutes from downtown.  To see my Kennesaw Mountain photo essay, on my Flickr site, click on the following link.

Mike’s Photo Essay on Kennesaw National Battlefield Park

If you are interested in visiting Atlanta area battlefields, I also recommend visiting the Pickett’s Mill Battlefield State Historic Site.  It is also north of Atlanta and is one of the better state park battlefields I’ve visited.  I also have a photo essay on this battlefield that can be accessed by clicking in the following link.

Mike’s Photo Essay on Pickett’s Mill Battlefield State Park

The following short narrative on the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain appears on my other website, BattlefieldPortraits.com.

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Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

Location: Kennesaw, Georgia
Dates: June 27, 1864
Union Commander:  William T. Sherman, Major General
Confederate Commander:  Joseph E. Johnston, General

Battle Summary:

For over six weeks Major General William “Tecumseh” Sherman has been maneuvering his army, attempting to outflank Joseph Johnston’s Army of Tennessee.  His goal being Atlanta – the jewel of the south.  He has maintained his proximity to the railroads in an effort to provision his massive army, but had pulled south of the railroad to fight at Dallas, Georgia and at New Hope Church.  Now, in late June, he finds his army hungry - and very near Atlanta.  He has one problem: an entrenched rebel Army of Tennessee at Kennesaw Mountain, near Marietta, Georgia.

Sherman, known for his aggressiveness, decided to send a portion of his army to the right to attack Johnston’s left flank and another portion to the east to hit his right flank.  Meanwhile, the rest of his army would be ready to attack the center when appropriate.  Major General John Schofield would be command the right flank and would lead the charge against Major General John Bell Hood’s Rebels.  Major General James B. McPherson would feint toward the rebel right, held by generals William Loring and Joe Wheeler.  Lastly, Major General George Thomas would command the center, attacking Confederates under generals Patrick Cleburne and Frank Cheatham.

At 8:00 a.m. on the morning of June 27, after an opening cannonade from 200 Federal guns, McPherson’s troops, under the command of generals Francis P. Blair, Grenville Dodge and John Logan moved towards Pigeon Hill and Kennesaw Mountain.  They ran into well entrenched rebel troops and suffered direct and enfilade fire.  Further south, Thomas’ Corps, under divisional command by generals John Newton, Charles Harker, Daniel McCook and Jefferson C.Davis , crossed a creek to the approach of what is now called Cheatham Hill.  There they ran squarely into a blistering fire of musketry from troops under Cleburne and Cheatham.  Running a full hour late, Schofield’s divisions, commanded by Joseph Hooker, Alpheus Williams and Milo Hascall, assaulted troops under the command of John Bell Hood near Kolb’s Farm.

With the exception of Cheatham Hill, the Federal forces were unable to hold any of the ground they fought so desperately to obtain.  The attack ended by 10:45 AM with the Federals retiring to their camps.  Federal troops did remain at Cheatham Hill for five days – a place that will forever be known as the “Dead Angle.”  These troops were within 30 yards of the rebel works and even attempted to tunnel under them.  Today, the Illinois Monument commemorates the struggle of her sons at the “Dead Angle.”  The tunnel entrance remains at the famous monument.

Campaign: Atlanta

Outcome: Confederate Victory

Troop Strengths:
Union: 110,000
Confederate: 65,000

Casualties (estimated):
Union: 3,000 (killed, wounded or missing/captured)
Confederate: 1,000 (killed, wounded or missing/captured)

Battle Aftermath:

William T. Sherman learned a hard lesson about attacking an entrenched army on superior ground.  His army could not dislodge Joseph Johnston’s much smaller Army of Tennessee.  While the Battle of Chickamauga is considered the Army of the Tennessee’s “High Water Mark,” Kennesaw Mountain was a glorious victory that was tarnished by Johnston’s continual retreat towards Atlanta.  In the end, the rebels were doomed.  Sherman continued his flanking moves knowing he would eventually uncover Atlanta.  Johnston would be removed from command, with John Bell Hood acceding to overall command of the unlucky Army of Tennessee.  This would be good for the Union cause due to his impetuosity and overly bold moves.  Sherman would take Atlanta in the early part of September and start his “March to the Sea.”  And as he told Grant, “I intend to make Georgia howl” –  and he did just that.

For more information on John Bell Hood’s Atlanta Campaign refer to my essay, “From Atlanta to Spring Hill: John Bell Hood’s 1864 Franklin-Nashville Campaign.”

One hundred forty-seven years ago, while US Major General Joe Hooker was reeling from his thrashing at Chancellorsville, Major General Ulysses S. Grant, commanding the Army of the Tennessee, was marching through Mississippi.  On this day in the Civil War, Grant issued orders through his aide, Lieutenant Colonel John A. Rawlins, “Corps commanders will immediately commence the work of reducing the enemy by regular approaches.  It is desirable that no more loss of life shall be sustained in the reduction of Vicksburg, and the capture of the Garrison.  Every advantage will be taken of the natural of the ground to gain to gain positions from which to start mines, trenches, or advance batteries…”(i)  And so it became a siege.  After successive victories at Grand Gulf (April 29), Port Gibson (May 1), Raymond (May 12), Jackson (May 14), Champion Hill (May 16) and Big Black River Bridge (May 17) Grant’s army had reached the outskirts of Vicksburg on May 18, 1863.  Always the aggressor, Grant made direct assaults against the heavily entrenched Confederate Army of Mississippi, commanded by CSA Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, on May 19 and 22.  Both attacks would be unsuccessful and would dramatically lengthen the casualty lists.  For the next 41 days the Federal army would lay siege to Pemberton’s defenses probing with infantry – always looking for opportunities to break the Confederate lines.  On July 4, 1863, Grant would receive Pemberton’s unconditional surrender –  an event that would open the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico.

For additional reading refer to the following articles I have published on Vicksburg:

Ulysses S. Grant Attacks Vicksburg

The Father of Waters Again Goes Unvexed to the Sea

(i) Simon, John Y. (editor), The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 8: April 1 –  July 6, 1863, published by Southern Illinois University Press in 1979, Pgs. 267–8.

Today is the 146th anniversary of the Battle of Yellow Tavern – and the mortal wounding of Confederate Major General James Ewell Brown “J.E.B.” Stuart.  Stuart, whom historian Eric J. Wittenberg considers the “best cavalry commander ever sired in the United States,” had commanded the Army of Northern Virginia’s mounted arm since the Peninsula Campaign.  Commanding general Robert E. Lee would rely on Stuart to provide accurate intelligence on the Federal Army of the Potomac and to screen the movements of his army.  His death would be produce mourning in the Confederacy not seen since the death of Lieutenant General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson nearly a year earlier.

With the promotion of Ulysses S. Grant, to lieutenant general commanding all U.S. ground forces, in March 1864, the complexion of fighting in the east would drastically change.  Grant would replace his cavalry corps commander, Major General Alfred Pleasanton, with Major General Philip H. Sheridan.  Sheridan had earned his “stars” commanding infantry in the western theater and was a hard fighter.  Grant’s command structure would have his new cavalry commander reporting to Major General George Gordon Meade, commander of the Army of the Potomac.  During the Overland Campaign, Sheridan would struggle with Meade who was accustomed to using his cavalry to guard his supply train and on scouting missions.  Wanting to be used in an offensive capacity, against his Confederate adversary, Sheridan would appeal to Grant to turn him loose behind Lee’s lines.  Grant would acquiesce, much to Meade’s dismay.  While Grant was battering Lee at Spotsylvania Court House, Sheridan would ride south with his cavalry corps in search of Stuart.  He would find him on the afternoon of May 11 at the abandoned inn at Yellow Tavern – approximately six miles north of Richmond.  While Sheridan had over twice as many troopers, Stuart’s three cavalry brigades made a valiant effort to prevent the Federals from breaking through their lines.  During the fight the 1st Virginia Cavalry would charge the Federal lines causing Colonel Russell Alger’s 5th Michigan Cavalry to bolt for the rear.  Stuart, always leading from the front, would be shot a close range by John A. Huff, a former sharpshooter.  Shot through the side, with the bullet tearing through his stomach, Stuart would be removed to Richmond where he would die on May 12.  The fight at Yellow Tavern would continue for an hour after Stuart’s wounding with CSA Major General Fitzhugh Lee taking command.  Sheridan’s numerical superiority would prove too much and he push south towards Richmond, never piercing the city’s outer defenses.

The Battle of Yellow Tavern permanently changed the complexion of the Confederate Cavalry.  No longer would they out soldier their Federal adversary.  With J.E.B. Stuart’s death the fighting elan of the Confederate mounted arm was diminished, depriving Robert E. Lee of arguably the best cavalry commander to ever fight in America.  Stuart is a true American HERO.

James Shields was born in Altmore, County Tyrone, Ireland on May 10, 1810.  He would immigrate to the United States in 1826, settling in Randolph County, Illinois.  He would study and practice law in Kaskaskia, Illinois.  At the age of 26, Shields would be elected state representative as a Democrat.  He would later serve as an Illinois Supreme Court justice and as state auditor.  In 1842, Shields would become upset with an inflammatory letter written about him by none other than Abraham Lincoln, who was a staunch Whig.  Wanting satisfaction, Shields would challenge Lincoln to a duel.  Lincoln would take responsibility for the letter and meet Shields on an island on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, opposite Alton, Illinois.  Fortunately their seconds intervened, before the duel, negotiating a peace between the two men.

With the outbreak of the Mexican War, in 1846, Shields would be appointed brigadier general of volunteers.  He would be wounded while leading the third brigade of the volunteer division, in Zachary Taylor’s army, at the Battle of Cerro Gordo.  He would participate in the battles of Contreras, Churubusco and Chapultepec, the latter of which he was wounded a second time.

After the war he would be appointed governor of the Oregon Territory by President James Polk.  After being confirmed by the senate Shields would decline the nomination and return to Illinois.  He would be elected to the United States Senate in 1848 but the election was voided by the Senate as Shields had not been a naturalized citizen for the minimum nine years required by law.  He would campaign again for the Senate seat in a special election to replace himself.  Duly elected a second time, and having met the minimum time as a naturalized citizen, Shields would be seated in the Senate on October 27, 1849.  Running as an incumbent, in 1855, he would not be re-elected.  Moving to the newly formed state of Minnesota, Shields would be elected as one its first senators, serving from 1858–1859.  Once again he would not be re-elected.  After his failed bid to for re-election he would move to California.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Shields would be appointed brigadier general of volunteers.  He would lead a division of the Army of the Potomac’s V Corps during Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign.  Wounded at the Battle of Kernstown, on March 23, 1862, his division would inflict the only loss Jackson would sustain, during his Valley Campaign, on the fields of Kernstown.  Shields would be promoted to major general of volunteers, following Kernstown, but the appointment would eventually be rejected based on Federal fortunes in the Shenandoah Valley.  Shields would continue to lead his division it was badly beaten at the Battle of Port Republic on June 9, 1862 – a battle which Shields was not present.  With his reputation tarnished, Shields would resign from the army with no resistance being offered by the Federal government.

After his resignation, Shields would move to Mexico, where he was engaged in mining ventures, Wisconsin and finally Missouri, in 1866.  He would be elected to the Missouri House of Representatives and in 1879 he would be elected to fill the rest of the term of U.S. Senator Lewis V. Bogey (Shields is the only person to be elected to the U.S. Senate from three different states).  After serving three months he would decline to run for re-election.  Shields would die less than three months later, on June 1, 1879, in Ottumwa, Iowa.  He is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Carrollton, Missouri.  Interestingly enough, James Shields represents Illinois in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.

Having served his adopted country twice, in two different wars, Shields is a true American HERO.

On this day, one hundred forty-seven hears ago, US Major General Joseph Hooker put his Army of the Potomac in motion.  With flowering trees in full bloom, and spring temperatures warming the days, the 1863 campaign season had opened.  After assuming command of the Army of Potomac, in January 1863, Hooker had implemented many changes to his army.  While in winter camp near Falmouth, Virginia Hooker worked diligently to raise the morale of his men, granting much needed furloughs and instituting badges for each army corps so the soldiers could proudly be identified by their corps.  By March the morale in the Army of the Potomac had been significantly improved.

Hooker’s operational plans for the upcoming campaign were well devised and provided a terrific opportunity for success against CSA General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.  Leaving US Major General John Sedgwick’s VI Corps at Fredericksburg, to deceive Lee of his true intentions, Hooker planned to march his remaining six infantry corps northwest of Fredericksburg, crossing the Rappahannock River at U.S. and Ely’s fords.  From there he would push south falling on Lee’s left flank and rear, preventing him from escaping towards Richmond.  Additionally, Hooker sent his cavalry corps, commanded by US Brigadier General George Stoneman, on a long circuitous route around Lee’s army to destroy his communications and provide an additional layer of of support to prevent Lee from escaping south.  According to Civil War scholar, Ernest B. Furgurson, “Hooker had sent most of his cavalry away from the battle; what was left was misused, and ignored when it did show initiative.”(i)  This would prove to be the undoing of Hooker.  While his plan confused Lee to his true intentions, Hooker was operating blindly.  Lee, in perhaps his best performance as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, would split his smaller army not once, but twice, in front of an army that had a two to one numerical advantage.  On May 2 Lee sprung his own trap sending CSA Lieutenant General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s 2d Corps on a long flanking march to fall on the right flank of Hooker’s army.  The surprise was complete, pushing US Major General Oliver O. Howard’s XI Corps more than two miles towards Chancellorsville.  On May 3 Hooker consolidated his position around the Chancellor tavern giving up the high ground held by US Major General Daniel Sickles’ III Corps at Hazel Grove.  This also proved disastrous as Lee’s artillery would use the high ground to pound the Federal position. 

Meanwhile, Hooker had ordered Sedgwick to dislodge CSA Major General Jubal A. Early’s 2d Corps division from Marye’s Heights at Fredericksburg.  While Early’s division was significantly outnumbered, he was able to delay Sedgwick’s advance long enough for CSA Brigadier General Cadmus Wilcox to establish a trap at Salem Church, just east of Chancellorsville.  Arrayed in the woods, along the Orange Turnpike, Wilcox would halt Sedgwick’s VI Corps in their tracks as they were marching along the pike.  After the bloody fight at Salem Chuch, Sedgwick, like Hooker, consolidated his corps along the Rappahannock River at Scott’s Ford.  Having left Fredericksburg uncovered, Early marched his division back to his trenches on Marye’s Heights cutting off Sedgwick’s retreat route.  This essentially ended any opportunity Hooker had to defeat Lee.  No longer willing or able to take the offensive Hooker would retreat across the Rappahannock River in the overnight hours of May 5.

Chancellorsville would prove fatal to Hooker’s ambition.  He would be removed from command of the Army of the Potomac in June.  Suffering nearly 14,000 casualties at the Battle of Chancellorsville it be one of the worst defeats the Federal army would suffer in the eastern theater.  Lee’s army was also badly mauled, suffering approximately 10,000 casualties.  However, Lee’s most significant loss was Thomas Jackson.  The great Stonewall would be wounded during the May 2 flank attack.  Scouting between the lines, Jackson would be shot by one of his own soldiers while returning to his lines.  The wound, in itself not fatal, would require the amputation of his left arm.  While recovering, at Guinea Station, Jackson would contract pneumonia and die on May 10, 1863.

For a more complete narrative on the Battle of Chancellorsville, refer to the article I wrote last year: The Battle of Chancellorsville – Joe Hooker’s Legacy.

(i) Furgurson, Ernest B., Chancellorsville 1863: The Souls of the Brave, published by Vintage Civil War Library in 1993, Pg. 161.

On April 26, 1865 CSA General Joseph E. Johnston officially surrendered his Confederate Army of Tennessee to US Major General William T. Sherman at Durham Station, North Carolina.  This official surrender followed an armistice that was signed by Johnston on April 18.  The orginal surrender was not accepted by the recently inaugurated president, Andrew Johnson, because it included terms that were political in nature which had not been authorized by the Federal government.  Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant would travel to North Carolina and counsel Sherman on the final surrender – one which only dealt with the military capitulation of the Army of Tennessee.  Grant, not wanting to embarrass his friend, allowed Sherman to provide the terms and accept Johnston’s surrender.

The surrender of the Army of Tennessee extinguished any hope of Confederate independence.  While additional Confederate armies were still active in the Western Theater, Johnston’s Army of Tennessee was the last large organized fighting force.  This army saw bloody action at some of the most brutal battles in the west: Stones River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga (Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain), the Atlanta Campaign, Franklin, Nashville and the Carolinas Campaign.  It would have several commanders: Braxton Bragg, Joe Johnston and John Bell Hood.  The battles of Franklin and Nashville would decimate the proud army.  While losing more battles than it won, it was not so much due to the fighting elan of the men, but rather poor decisions made by its commanders.  Many of the most celebrated general officers of the Confederacy held important commands in this army including Patrick Cleburne, Nathan Bedford Forrest, James Longstreet, Stephen D. Lee and Alexander P. Stewart.