Twas on the 6th of April, just at the break of day...

150 years ago it ended, if there was any niave notion left that the war was going to be short it died along with thousands of young men in the thickets and farmfields around the primative little Shiloh Church. The blood spilled that day would have drowned James Chestnut. Shiloh was the first battle for most of the regiments that would in a few months become the Army of Tennessee. This brutal birth forever scared many units like the 15th Arkansas Infantry. The 15th Arkansas was originally designated the 1st Arkansas, but lost that designation to a regiment sent to Virginia in 1861, and contained young men who were on the make and strongly supported secession. The 15th elected Patrick Cleburne as their Colonel and would make up one of the regiments of his brigade when he was promoted to Brigadier General. At Shiloh they led his brigade into action as the skirmishers for his command under the command of Lieutenant Colonel A.K. Patton. During the early phases of the fighting along the marshy banks of Shiloh branch and the mud slick slopes of Shiloh Hill the 15th suffered severely. The Arkansasans would continue to fight through the rest of the battle and at the end only a handful of men remained to leave the field with their battle ravaged flag. The 15th had entered the mist that April morning as a regiment of young men seeking a chance to prove themselves, to see the elephant, and they left the field a broken company, only 58 men were standing. In the days and weeks that followed men returned to the ranks, but not enough to enable the regiment to stand on its own, for the rest of its career the 15th would have to be consolidated with other regiments to field a regimental strength. The shadow of Shiloh would haunt the survivors of the 15th Arkansas for the rest of the war.

2012 a Year for Western Theater Books or how I am going to be in the poor house.

Looking through a number of the University Press Catalogs recently it has occured to me that I'm going to be a very poor man soon. Several important books are about to come out that will contribute greatly to the study of the Western Theater and the Army of Tennessee. A few of the choice ones are:

George Henry Thomas: As True as Steel by Brian Steel Wills
Dr. Wills has been working on this one for sometime and weighting in at 600 pages this is sure to be the definitive Thomas biography. I'm really looking forward to this one. Plus I can justify reading it since it ties into my current work on Hood's Georgia and Tennessee Campaign. Look for this one in the next few weeks.

Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, and Occupation by Timothy B. Smith
Another one I'm looking forward to. Before Chattanooga, Before Vicksburg, there was Corinth. Sitting on the Backbone of the Confederacy, the Memphis and Charleston Railroad the loss of this important railroad town just added to the devastation of 1862 on the Confederacy. Although in recent years there has been work, notably by Peter Cozzens, on Corinth, they have focused on the October 1862 fight. Tim's work will cover the that as well as the often overlooked fighting for the town in May of that year. This one will fill that void. Look for it in May, just in time for the 150th.

Granbury's Texas Brigade: Diehard Western Confederates by John R. Lundberg
Another one that Ill be able to justify reading. This one should be a good read on one of the Army of Tennessee's star fighting brigades. Look for it in March as well.

Marching With Sherman: Though Georgia and the Carolinas with the 154th New York by Mark H. Dunkelman
Mark continues the story of the 154th New York with this study, another one that will definately be worth check out. Coming out in April.

By the Noble Daring of Her Sons: The Florida Brigade of the Army of Tennessee by Jonathan C. Sheppard

The poor Florida Brigade will finally be getting a history of its own. General J.J. Finley's Brigade got off to a rocky start, their first battle being the debacle at Missionary Ridge. The Brigade came together after Chickamauga when General Bragg pulled all of the Florida units in the Army of Tennessee together and created this unit. Finley's Brigade did not have a stellar career like Granbury's but was more representative of most of the ill starred Army of Tennessee. This is another I can justify reading and one that I am really looking forward to. It will be out in June.

So there you have a list of upcoming Army of Tennessee related titles. Looks like its going to be a good year for reading.

150 Mill Springs

January 19th marks the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Mill Springs aka Fishing Creek, Kentucky. This Battle would mark the first blow against the Confederate defensive line in Kentucky, the rise of George Henry Thomas to the National stage, and the death of a Confederate General. Much could be said about this engagement, but we will look at the story of one of the dead.
As the Battle began to turn sharply agains the Confederates the engagement began to center on a struggle for a line along a 8 foot high split rail fence defended by first the 4th Kentucky Infantry (US) and then reinforced by the 2nd Minnesota Infantry, on the other side was the 15th Mississippi and 20th Tennessee Infantries. The 15th had stuggled the longest and the ground lay strewn with the Mississippians in a final bid to try to take the position the 20th Tennessee pitched into the fray. The fighting along the fence was brutal with men being shot and bayonetted at point blank range. The Confederates however were unable to mount the fence and drive their blue clad foes back and first the 15th Mississippi broke and fled across the frozen cornfield they had advanced across earlier that morning and then after one final try Col. Joe Battle ordered his Tennesseeans to withdraw as well, but on the regiment's right, 1st Lieutenant Bailey Peyton, Jr. was not willing to let the fight go and ordered his Company A, The Hickory Guards to charge forward again. Yelling "Come on Hickory Guards!" the Nashville based company followed into a hail of bullets, which was more than they could stand. Company A halted and then fled to the rear, but not Lieutenant Peyton. The charge had carried him to within about 10 yards of the line and now with his men retreating the 29 year old officer stood alone facing the Federal line. A call was made for him to surrender he answered by opening fire with his pistol and the stunned Federals, wounding a Lieutenant in Company I of the 2nd Minnesota. He continured to fire until Pvt. Adam Wickett pushed his musket through the fence and fired. The buck and ball charge struck Peyton full in the left side of the face, killing him instantly and ending the fighting on that part of the field. Peyton's body along with his commander, General Felix Zollicoffer, would later be transported through the lines to Nashville. Peyton would make his way back to his home town of Gallatin for burial.
Bailey Peyton was an example of the reckless and highly motivated first round of Confederate soldiers that enlisted in 1861 and also an example of the division that was witnessed in many Tennessee families during the war. Young Peyton's father was an ardent Unionist and a well respected citizen, having served as an officer in the War with Mexico, as a State Represenative, as US Minister to Chile, and a famed juror. His son had against his wishes supported secession and joined the Confederate Army. Now the elder Peyton buried his rebel son, who disappointed him by his choice but took comfort in the fact that his son had not died a coward.

Creighton and Crane, 7th Ohio

I have developed a special affinity for the 7th Ohio over the last few years, mainly from telling their story at the Battle of Ringgold Gap. This past Fall, after learning that my favorite Band was playing a headline show in Cleveland, decided to visit Cleveland and find the graves of Colonel William Creighton and Lieuteant Colonel Orrin Crane, both as you may remember were killed at Ringgold. This trip to Cleveland turned into an adventure as I landed as the city received its first snow of the year and soon turned into a Winter Wonderland. I was armed with my somewhat trusty GPS and managed to find my way, very slowly, to Woodland Cemetery where they are buried, not far from a monument to the 7th Ohio. Creighton and Crane had both been members of the Cleveland Greys before the war and had become good friends, they went to war together, and they died together. Its only fitting that they now rest side by side.
I also made a short trip to the Western Reserve Historical Society Museum and learned a little more about the men of the 7th Ohio. The region was largely settled by immigration from Conneticut, so a New England sense was exhibited here, and a very dedicated Abolitionist mindset took hold with many of the inhabitants of the area. So a little more comes out about the men of the 7th.

2011 Wrap Up

2011 proved to be a very busy year with work at CHCH and at home. At work it was the regular slate of programs and tours but with the addition of being our "reenactor coordinator" for the new park movie, basically recruting young skinny guys for the film, the end product will be good, telling the story of the battle from the soldier's perspective instead of the Generals. I have also been pegging away at my book on Hood's Tennessee Campaign, its always funny that I seem to find all sorts of other things when Im in the midst of a bigger project.
Finally, not to make it seem like it has been all work, but I did a lot of traveling this past year, A LOT. I attended the 150th Anniversary of Manassas and managed to by the end of the year visit every NPS Civil War Battlefield in the East. My last trip was the week before Christmas and had a definite Chattanooga theme, visiting the graves of Col. William Creighton and Liet. Orin Crane of the 7th Ohio in Cleveland, then visiting the park near that small, south central Pennsylvania college town to see the monuments for the troops of Geary's Division, and finally visiting the grave of young Lieutenant Edward Geary. A whrilwind trip to wrap up a whirlwind year. I hope to make a few postings about these stops in the next few days.

2012

Well one of my resolutions for this year is to bring some life back into the blog. Between work and writing a book, there has been very little time to devote here, but I think I have found a solution, so we shall see. Hope everyone has a great 2012!

Resaca Update

Last weekend was the annual reenactment of the Battle of Resaca and afterwork on Saturday made my way over to visit with some friends that were in attendence and happened to stumble upon a sign that announced that phase I of construction of the Battlefield Park would start next year. So here is a link to the Friends of Resaca Battlefield's website with a picture of the sign. Check it out and let me know what you think of the proposed site.

http://www.resacabattlefield.org/FoRstart.html

A matter of Black and White

I have been impressed with a number of articles, blogs, and video lectures that have been making their way onto the internet as of late, and the New York Times' Disunion blog is one of them, the following link will take you to a recent posting about Army of Tennessee brigade commander Randall Gibson, http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/14/black-or-white/?emc=eta1 . I have seen references to Gibson's heritage before but found this very enlightening and also alerted me to the posting's author's recent book that uses the Gibsons as one of three families he studies, so Im going to have a look. One thing that has definately piqued my interest in this beyond the obvious was the noted feud between Gibson and Bragg, and I wonder if hushed rumors about this might have been involved there. Anyway dear readers, enjoy.

2nd Annual The Face of Battle Symposium

The Face of Battle: The Struggle Begins

In commemoration of the pivotal events that occurred 150 years ago during the volatile year of 1861, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in conjunction with The Friends of the Park will present the second annual The Face of Battle symposium, focusing on the events of 1861 and how they affected the Chattanooga area as the country went to war. The symposium will be presented at the Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, TN on Saturday, May 7th, 2011. This program will be free and open to the public, but reservations are required.
Schedule and Speakers:

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Rebels With A Cause: East Tennessee’s Confederate Population
Dr. John Fowler, Director of the Bandy Heritage Center and Professor of History,
Dalton State College

11:00 a.m. – 12:00p.m. The First Year of the War in Georgia, 1860-1861
Dr. Keith Bohannon, Associate Professor of History, University of West Georgia

12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Lunch

1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Loyal Cavaliers: Tennessee’s Unionist Cavalrymen
Myers Brown, Tennessee State Museum

2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. The Confederate Flags of 1861: From Secession to War
Greg Biggs, Author

3:15 p.m. End of Symposium


To make reservations, please contact Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP the Chickamauga Visitor Center at 706-866-9241.

150 Years Ago

Wow, where does the time go? Well, the past few months have been incredibly busy, finishing and starting several projects and going on a ten day detail for the 150th Anniversary of Fort Sumter. Still have some good plans for the blog if I ever have the time to impliment them. So the purpose of this post is a brief note about the beginning of the 150ths. I really enjoyed my time in Charleston, although I can assure you that I havent worked that hard since I was "working" for my Dad in a hayfield. The 150th from my perspective wasnt really what I expected, although busy it wasnt overwhelming and the reenacted bombardment was kind of cool, but not as big as I expected it to be. Of course the threatened Govt shutdown did have an impact on some of this, but still it leaves me wondering what the impact of the 150s is going to be.

Resaca Preservation Effort

Time for a post and update, its been hard to pay much attention to the blog lately due to a number of factors, most notably working on my next book. However, after a brief visit and drive around the Resaca area on Monday, I thought it would be timely to note the recent effort by the Civil War Trust to try to preserve more land at the site. Resaca is a true Gem of a site and will hopefully be open to visitation in the not too distant future.
The little village of Resaca was the site of two engagements during the Civil War, the most notable being the slugfest that occured on May 14-15, 1864 between Sherman and Johnston. The second was part of Hood's march north following the fall of Atlanta. Portions of both engagements are being preserved at this time by efforts from the Civil War Trust, The Friends of Resaca Battlefield, along with the state of Georgia. Here is the most recent annoucement by the Civil War Trust to work on obtaining the land where some of the heaviest fighting in the battle occured, http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/resaca/resaca-2011/a-message-from-jim-lighthizer.html. Also, for those who are interested, http://www.resacabattlefield.org/ (Note the Confederate Sharpshooter on the lower left is yours truely circa 1991.)

Failure in the Saddle Review

A new book that I would consider to be MUST reading for any Army of Tennessee aficionado is Dave Powell's newest, Failure in the Saddle: Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joseph Wheeler, and the Confederate Cavalry in the Chickamauga Campaign. I have chided Dave for several years that with this book he would never be able to come south again, due to daring to offer a critique of N.B. Forrest in this campaign, but after reading the complete book I have to say that any open minded student of Forrest and the western cavalry will learn a lot from this book and even if you don't agree with the analysis offered by Dave, I still think it gives you a lot to think about. With that though I do agree with the author on these subjects.
Forrest does not perform that well in this campaign, not all of this is his fault however, having to deal with several less than stellar subordinates, General John Pegram and Col. John S. Scott, as well as having to command a Corps for the first time. One thing that is often lost on Forrest is his rapid rise to commanding a corps, going from commanding a brigade in April to corps by September, with several intervals due to other factors. Forrest has a learning curve and its one that he benefits from, the Forrest of 1864 had to be made and the Chickamauga campaign was part of that. Dave is fair with Forrest and so although he fails at things, he does ultimately learn from his mistakes.
Forrest, however, is only part of this story. The other half belongs to "Fighting Joe" Wheeler, who really comes out of this looking bad. Wheeler never learned, and was a problem for the mounted arm of the Army of Tennessee. Wheeler should be held up with Leonidas Polk as one of the most incompetent high level leaders in the Confederate service.
I have often said that if the cavalry is the eyes and ears of an army, then the Army of Tennessee was blind and deaf during this campaign and Dave's book definitely cements that view. I high recommend it to anyone interested in the Chickamauga Campaign or the Army of Tennessee in general.

The Union is Dissolved!

I have been wondering for several days what I was going to write this evening, I felt that I needed to note the evening of December 20th, 2010 with some posting in observance of the 150th Anniversary of the Secession of South Carolina, the first domino to fall that leads to the firing on Fort Sumter in April of 1861. So as I rode back from a trip to Shiloh and Corinth, I thought about all of the lives that this event impacted, almost all of the men that fought in those battles were living quiet and peaceful lives 150 years ago tonight, a year later they were embroiled in a bloody war due to the series of events that this one kicked into high gear. So while fellow bloggers are covering the modern commemoration/celebration in SC, or what the cause of this event was I will refer you to future brigade commander and General, Arthur M. Manigault who would recall with a Lost Cause slant:

"The election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States by the Republican party of the North, in October 1860, satisfied the people of the Southern States that the time long since foreseen by our wiser statesmen, had at last arrived when the South must withdraw from the Union. It was now evident that the party into whose hands the direction of the government had fallen would to a great extent pervert the Constitution to the advancement of their own ends, and denying us through the majority which they possessed in Congress, the rights and protection which it secured us, eventually bring about our complete and thorough ruin. To save themselves from the threatened danger, most of the Southern slaveholding States, with remarkable unanimity, one after another, called conventions of the people and passed Ordinances of Secession, beginning with South Carolina, on the 20th of December, 1860, and expresing a desire peaceably to withdraw from the Union, adopted a Constitution of their own, and formed a Government known as the Confederate States of America."

So readers, thus it began. The following morning the famous Evans and Cogswell Broadside proclaiming "THE UNION IS DISSOLVED" was posted.

November Museings and Updates

Just a little update. Today is the 147th anniversary of the retreat from Missionary Ridge. 147 years ago today two small fights occured. One near Chickamauga Station, involving the famed Orphan Brigade, and the other, Wild Cat Creek, which involved Maney's Brigade. Both actions would be against elements of General Jefferson C. Davis' division. The last few months have been incredibly busy, with the anniversary programs for both Chickamauga and Chattanooga, finishing an essay on Manigault's brigade at Chickamauga, a book review, and researching and writing my next book length project. So thats my pitiful excuse for neglecting this blog. BUT, with that said, I do have some interesting things to post from my research, so look for those in the next few weeks.

CCNMP Study Group 2011 tours

Dave Powell has announced his CCNMP Study Group 2011 tour. Below is a brief outline, you can find the full description on his http://chickamaugablog.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/ccnmp-2011-study-group/

Friday
All day Bus Tour which will cover McClemore's Cove and Davis Crossroads.

Saturday
Morning, Viniard Field on foot
Afternoon, North Dyer Field, Mendenhall forms a line

Chickamauga Anniversary Sept 17-19, 2010

This weekend is the anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga and as always the NPS is offering a full slate of special tours and other programs, including some 150th programs being provided by our own Chris Young. Anyway, if you want to tramp on the battlefield in conditions very similar to what they were 147 years ago here is your chance. Note, that your hosts here are all involved in the programing, you can view the schedule here, www.nps.gov/chch/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=295473 I will be doing five special programs this weekend one on Friday covering Col. John Wilder's defence of Alexander's Bridge, a new one "Sins of the Fathers" which will be about Col. Peyton Colquitt and General James Deshler, A.P. Stewart's Breakthrough, will co-lead the "Secession Crisis" tour with Dr. Keith Bohannon, our own Patrick Lewis, and Lindsey Brown, and conclude on Sunday with my Longstreet's Breakthrough tour. Chris will be leading his Forrest tour, a program on the Civilians caught in the conflict, and then overseeing our 1860 Election programs. Going to be a busy week. So anyway, a lot of good programs free to the public and hope to see some of you all there.

NPS and Franklin

Found the following of interest.

Park Service confirms grant for battlefield
$492,000 will pay down debt for land on Columbia Ave.

By Kevin Walters • THE TENNESSEAN • August 20, 2010


FRANKLIN — Another piece of land on Columbia Avenue is closer to becoming part of a proposed Battle of Franklin battlefield park.

The National Park Service confirmed this week its award of $492,000 to the city of Franklin for use in helping Franklin's Charge complete the purchase of the one-acre Holt House property off Columbia Avenue.

The house and land sit at the epicenter of the Battle of Franklin, which was fought on Nov. 30, 1864, where a cotton gin once stood.

The house and land sit at the epicenter of the Battle of Franklin, which was fought on Nov. 30, 1864, where a cotton gin once stood.

The award is part of $977,500 given from the National Park Service this week to local governments in Franklin, Richmond, Ky., and Bentonville, N.C.
"We must honor the memories of those who fought and teach people about the Civil War and its pivotal role in our nation's history," National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said in announcing the grant.

Priority was given to battlefields listed in the National Park Service's Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields. Money is awarded based on the significance of the land to be acquired and the availability of required nonfederal matching funds.
The money is awarded to the city through the NPS's American Battlefield Protection Program and used by the nonprofit Civil War Preservation Trust to buy the land and then deed to Franklin's Charge.

The grant will be used to help pay down the $950,000 spent back in 2008 to buy the Holt House, said Ernie Bacon, Franklin's Charge president.

The group hopes to eventually purchase the Domino's Pizza restaurant and strip center, which would make up much of where a future battlefield park might go.

"Our goal hasn't changed," Bacon said. "Our vision is by 2014 — the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Franklin — is to have a Battle of Franklin park."

Bacon said negotiations for the Domino's Pizza land are ongoing. In 2005, Franklin spent $300,000 to buy a Pizza Hut restaurant at 1259 Columbia Ave., which was the first piece of the park.

Congress appropriated $9 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to help nonfederal entities acquire and preserve Civil War battlefields, the NPS said.

Battleflags of the Army of Tennessee

One of my many and varied interests related to the Army of Tennessee is battle flags, I have had the privilage over the years to be associated with a group of researchers who have for a number of years ran a website devoted to Confederate Flags, sadly in recent years we have lost two of the most knowledgeable experts in the field, Howard Madaus and Deveraux Cannon and the fate of the website was in doubt, but now thanks to Greg Biggs and the other members of the group, that site is back up with new content. So if your interested in flags, check it out, http://www.confederate-flags.org/. Also, the two sections on the Army of Tennessee flags are the best out there.

And still more from SC

This is from the museum:

We wanted to share a brief update with you this morning. The SC Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum has no plans to close in the very near future. We are working with the Budget and Control Board to come up with a short term solution until our elected leaders can solve our budget problem.

In the meantime, the broad outpouring of support has been outstanding and the one bright spot in this whole situation! We really appreciate it and will keep you posted! Thank you!!

More on SC Woes

From The State newspaper, July 17, 2010:

"Confederate Relic Room. The $765,000 needed to fund the third oldest museum in the state was struck from the budget when the House upheld Sanford’s veto of the state Budget and Control Board’s budget. The museum focuses on South Carolina’s military history from the Revolutionary War to the present."