With Rosecrans After Chickamauga

For First Lieutenant Edwin Nicar, serving as aide-de-camp on the brigade staff of General George D. Wagner, General Rosecrans surprise appearance at brigade headquarters in Chattanooga on the afternoon of September 20, 1863, was indelibly etched in his memory.

“The fugitives streamed back towards and into Chattanooga and by 4 p.m. on the 20th we knew, or rather believed, that our army was beaten,” he wrote. “Rosecrans himself with a single staff officer arrived at our headquarters about the hour mentioned looking as white as a sheet and had to be helped from his horse. His staff officer, Captain Drouillard, gave us to understand that all was lost but cautioned secrecy.”

The following passages about the Chickamauga campaign come from Captain Nicar’s memoir of the war published just as the U.S. was about to enter World War I and published in the pages of the South Bend Tribune. His story picks up in late August 1863 as Wagner’s brigade is marching towards Chattanooga:

 

During the war, General Rosecrans was anything if camera-shy as I have discovered more than 40 different images of him recorded on CDVs dating from the period. However, he was shy about having any images taken showing the right side of his face as he was sensitive to the scars he received on that side when one of his experiments with coal oil went awry. This particular image dates from 1863 during his period as commander of the Army of the Cumberland. 

Wagner’s brigade of Wood’s division along with Wilder’s mounted brigade were sent directly across the mountains to threaten Chattanooga in front while the main army moved by the right to cross the Tennessee River and flank Bragg’s position. Wilder and Wagner appeared before Chattanooga most unexpectedly and the former promptly opened on the city with his artillery, causing much consternation and some loss of life.

The Confederates replied vigorously and to such effect that Wilder was forced to withdraw. Henceforth, we devoted ourselves to feints of crossing and similar bluffs while both days and nights were full of war’s alarms. Finally on September 9, 1863, the morning sun disclosed a very quiet town in our front and it was evident that Bragg had evacuated Chattanooga and fallen back into north Georgia. By means of a large flatboat, which some of our men swam into the river and secured, our brigade was hurried across the river and took possession of Chattanooga. Almost simultaneously a portion of Crittenden’s corps appeared around the nose of Lookout Mountain and the occupation was complete.

Our brigade was designated as the garrison for Chattanooga and the rest of the army pushed forward in pursuit of Bragg. General Wagner secured a desirable house for headquarters and took possession of it along with the staff. The staff officers were kept constantly on duty studying the roads and approaches to Chattanooga and I soon became familiar with them and with the country adjacent to the city. General Rosecrans left a staff officer at our quarters to look after details; he installed a telegraphic instrument and operator and thus matters ran along until the memorable Battle of Chickamauga which was fought September 19-20, 1863.

General George Day Wagner

We missed this battle because of our being stationed in Chattanooga, but the two remaining brigades of Wood’s division took an active and honorable part. Bragg had outgeneraled Rosecrans to the extent that the latter believed that Bragg was retreating when, as a matter of fact, he had only fallen back to concentrate his forces and await the reinforcements from Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia which under Longstreet were then on their way.

The divisions of Rosecrans’ army were widely scattered but when Bragg took the offensive, Rosecrans hurriedly concentrated and barely succeeded in getting his forces together when Bragg attacked. In Chattanooga, we had two very anxious days as we knew the Army of the Cumberland was fighting for its very life with the chances of success scarcely even. The first day’s battle was a drawn one but Rosecrans, according to his telegrams to President Lincoln and General Halleck, was hopeful of success on the following day.

Meanwhile, however, Longstreet had come up with his fresh legions which were thrown into the scale against Rosecrans’ tired but valiant soldiers. By a blunder, our center was weakened, forced, and driven back and to all appearances a good share of our army was routed. The fugitives streamed back towards and into Chattanooga and by 4 p.m. on the 20th we knew, or rather believed, that our army was beaten. Rosecrans himself with a single staff officer arrived at our headquarters about the hour mentioned looking as white as a sheet and had to be helped from his horse. His staff officer, Captain [James P.] Drouillard, gave us to understand that all was lost but cautioned secrecy.

Captain James P. Drouillard

Rosecrans at once ordered Wagner’s brigade out to stop the stragglers and to get the remnants into some semblance of order. Knowing the roads as I did I was kept on constant duty until fully midnight. I was ordered to report in person to General Rosecrans and to be subject to his orders. About 7 in the evening, I went into his room to report and there saw him with Crittenden and McCook who had been wept from the battlefield with the debris of their commands. About this time came a messenger from General Garfield, chief of staff, with that news that General Thomas had succeeded in rallying a considerable force, had beaten back all attacks, and was then defiantly holding his position on Snodgrass Hill.

All this I heard and it was a revelation to see Rosecrans straighten up and take on new courage. He hurriedly directed McCook and Crittenden to join their commands, gave orders for the disposition of troops as they came in from the battlefield, ordered the wagons across the river and exhibited much energy generally. It was fortunate for the country that General Thomas, afterwards called the Rock of Chickamauga, had the ability and courage to turn disaster into successful resistance for under his guidance the splendid soldiers of the Army of the Cumberland who remained on the field saved Chattanooga for the Union and upheld the glory of the flag.

About midnight I made my last report to General Rosecrans and there being no additional orders, I dropped down on a couch and almost instantly fell asleep. I remember someone shaking me to arouse me and I remember Rosecrans saying, “Let him alone. He is very tried” and then I knew nothing more. The morning sun awakened me and on looking about I found I was alone. I stepped to the little room use as a telegraph officer and there picked up a message, evidently sent early in the evening, reading as follows: “To Mrs. W.S. Rosecrans, New York: After two days’ sanguinary fighting we have been defeated and driven back on Chattanooga. I am well. W.S. Rosecrans.” This is history, though I do not think this particular incident has ever before been made public. I duly returned the telegram to the staff officer in charge and also kept the information to myself.

Anna (Hegeman) Rosecrans, the "Mrs. W.S. Rosecrans" in the telegraph message

          With the advent of another day, General Rosecrans, finding that was not lost, became another man. Then it was that he gave out the claim that although we had not been as successful as had been hoped for, we had gained our objective of Chattanooga and would hold the place. Had he known that Bragg believed himself beaten and had not Thomas obeyed orders and fallen back to Chattanooga, the Confederates themselves would have retreated and he could have gone much further claimed a Union victory. American soldiers are quick to recover from discouragement and even disaster and within 3 days we were holding the lines strongly and bidding defiance to Bragg and his men.

          Our experience during the siege of Chattanooga was for the most part of a decidedly serious character for we had little of a cheering nature to enliven us. Surrounded on 3 sides by Bragg’s and Longstreet’s hungry Confederates on half rations or less, with horses and mules dying by hundreds of starvation, the prospect was far from rose-tinted but we were young and youth, blessed youth, is every hopeful and confident. We believed in our cause, worshipped the flag with a lover’s devotion, had implicit confidence in Pap Thomas, and an abiding faith in the outcome.

Source:

“From Ranks to Staff: Personal Recollections of the War for the Union: Tullahoma and Chickamauga,” South Bend Tribune (Indiana), March 24, 1917, pg. 14

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Arming the Buckeyes: Longarms of the Ohio Infantry Regiments

Image
     A common question that comes up in conversation about Civil War Buckeye regiments is "What were they armed with?" We are fortunate in that the state of Ohio kept good records of how the regiments were armed when they went into service, this being especially true for those regiments which went into service in 1861 and 1862. The state adjutant general's reports for 1861 and 1862 have been heavily drawn upon to construct this article, as well as consultation with Phil Spaugy who has done extensive research on how Ohio's troops were armed during the war.      Buckeyes carried a fairly wide variety of weapons into the field, and the below article breaks this down into weapons of both domestic manufacture and imported arms. The early days of the war found the state of Ohio practically bereft of longarms; as an example, when the 1st and 2nd Ohio Volunteer Militia left the state in late April 1861, they left unarmed, being armed at Lancaster, Pennsylvania on t...
Read more

Bullets for the Union: Manufacturing Small Arms Ammunition During the Civil War

Image
       Civil War bullets are perhaps the most common item collected from the era; the two armies expended bullets by the millions during the four years’ conflict and spent or deformed bullets of all shapes and sizes have made fascinating and affordable collectibles since the guns went silent in 1865.       I recently acquired a display piece featuring 35 different types of small arms ammunition used during the Civil War, including everything from a small .28 caliber ball up to a .69 caliber three-ring Minie and it triggered some questions: how did the Federal army obtain its small arms ammunition during the war? Where did the lead come from to make the bullets, and where and how was the ammunition manufactured? This post seeks to answer those questions. A typical .58 caliber 3-ring Minie bullet   “Whenever the blasts of war blow in the ears of men who trade in the implements of destruction, they are apt to experience more joy than the true ...
Read more

Arming the Union: Federal Contract Model 1861 Springfield Rifle Muskets

Image
A t the outset of the Civil War, the Federal government ran into a serious issue when the Confederacy occupied Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, the home of one of the nation’s two armories, and carted the gun making equipment off to Richmond, Virginia. This left just the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts as the sole government-operated entity to produce longarms for the Union army.           But it quickly became apparent that production at Springfield would have to be supplemented, so the War Department pursued two tracks to increase the weapons supply. Agents were dispatched to Europe to purchase suitable weapons from England, France, Austria, Belgium, and Prussia. Over time, these agents acquired hundreds of thousands of European arms of different designs and origins that equipped Federal regiments in the first years of the war.           In the meantime, operations at the Springfiel...
Read more

Dressing the Rebels: How to Dye Butternut Jeans Cloth

Image
     In the early days of the Civil War,  the Southern states found themselves with an abundance of cotton but a shortage of cloth with which to make army uniforms. The trade in cloth prior to the war had largely been to send raw cotton or wool north to New England (or Great Britain) where it was converted into usable cloth; but now that trade was broken and the Southern states were thrown upon their own resources in their efforts to properly clothe the Confederate army.  This collection of Confederate enlisted men's frock coats and shell jackets gives some indication of the variety of shades of butternut worn during the war. All of them are shades of yellow brown, some heavier on the yellow and some heavier on the brown. The blue used around the collar or as rank insignia indicates that the soldier was in the infantry. Surviving Confederate uniforms are considered rather rare and command quite a healthy price in the collecting market. For an in-depth study of h...
Read more

The Vaunted Enfield Rifle Musket

Image
     The English-made Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield Rifle Musket was widely regarded as the best infantry arm in the world at the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. Favorable international press describing its efficiency in the Crimean War and in suppressing the Indian rebellion led to the widespread desire of American infantrymen (both Federal and Confederate) to be armed with these accurate and well-made arms. The lock plate of this well-worn P1853 Enfield rifle musket produced in 1862 shows the typical markings of a British-made weapon that made it through the Federal blockade.  ( Army of Tennessee Relics ) Enfield-pattern weapons were imported into the states by the tens and hundreds of thousands during the war years; one estimate stated that the Federal government purchased 500,000 while the Confederates purchased another 400,000. The Confederate government dispatched Captain Caleb Huse to Europe in April 1861 to purchase weapons and Huse focused on se...
Read more

Arming the Empire State: Arms Issues to New York Infantry Regiments in 1861

Image
     During the Civil War, the state of New York provided more than 400,000 men to the Union army, the highest number of soldiers of any state, and as can be imagined, the task of arming those hundreds of thousands of volunteers was a very difficult one. At the outbreak of hostilities, the state militia numbered 19,000 men but the state possessed only about 8,000 long arms nearly all of which were utilized to arm the eleven militia regiments which left the state in the earliest days of the war. The state dispatched an agent to England on April 24 th to purchase 25,000 Enfield pattern rifle muskets but upon his arrival, he found those weapons hard to find as Confederate agents had already been busy buying up the stock. Eventually, he was able to secure 19,000 Enfields at a cost of $335,000; these weapons arrived in bits and pieces over the next several months and were issued out soon after their arrival to newly formed regiments.  A perusal of the adjutant general’...
Read more

Old Abe: The Magnificent War Eagle of the 8th Wisconsin

Image
       In September of 1861, Captain John E. Perkins and the Eau Claire Badgers went into Camp Randall, in Madison Wisconsin with an unusual company mascot: a fledging bald eagle who they soon named Old Abe.           Old Abe had been captured near the Flambeau River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin by Agemahmegezhig (Chief Sky), a member of the Chippewa tribe during sugar season in the spring of 1861.   “His captor cut down a large pine tree in which was the eagle’s nest and secured this one caught in spite of the screams and menaces of the parent birds,” Captain James H. Green of the 8 th Wisconsin later wrote. Daniel McCann of Eagle Point, Wisconsin soon purchased this fledgling eagle by trading a bushel of corn with the Chippewa. Captain Perkins was then in Eau Claire organizing a company and it was there that McCann sold the eagle to Perkins’ company for $2.50. Perkins, who was later killed at the battle of Farmi...
Read more

Cotton Burning on the Levee: A Civilian Witnesses the Federal Seizure of New Orleans

Image
F or one Ohio-born resident of New Orleans, the arrival of Admiral David Farragut’s fleet on April 25, 1862, marked a day of liberation. “Yesterday about half past 1 o’clock, the cry was raised that the Yankees were upon us,” wrote Louis M. Beyers in a letter to his mother. “I started toward the levee where the Federal vessels were said to be lying. Reaching the river, what a sight breaks upon my view. The steamboat William Morrison was one mass of flames. All the shipping was sending forth the most dense black smoke. The Mississippi , a ram which was nearly finished and which, if completed, would have demolished the whole fleet in one hour, floating slowly by with the smoke issuing from every opening and several other important like vessels in various parts of the river, all showing that the torch has been applied to them.” “Together with the thunder which came peal after peal gave a scene of the utmost grandeur. There proudly floating in the smoke and rain were the glorious old ...
Read more

A Different Vista on the Civil War: An "Ohio" Marked Lorenz Rifle

Image
          While the focus of this blog has been almost exclusively on chronicling the services of Ohioans during the Civil War through their own words, once in a while it is worthwhile to look into object-based history to help further illuminate the times. Object-based history provides a different vista through which to view past events, by studying the manufacture, use, and history of the objects themselves. Today's post marks my first entry into studying the Civil War through its relics and objects. Unidentified Yankee private holding a Lorenz rifle and Colt revolver (Library of Congress)            I recently acquired an Ohio-marked M1854 Austrian-made .54 caliber Lorenz rifle from a longtime Civil War collector. When I decided to purchase the rifle, I knew little beyond the fact that I had come across dozens of references to this usually well-regarded longarm in my research over the years and it was one of the more att...
Read more

Grant's Bodyguard: An Illinois Trooper at Fort Donelson

Image
Continuing on last week's theme of brushes with the legends of the Civil War, this week's post features a letter from Illinois trooper Private George M. Bradley of Co. A, 4th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry. Bradley, a native of Akron, Ohio, enlisted September 26, 1861 in the 4th Illinois Cavalry and served three years as a Private, mustering out November 3, 1864.  Perhaps one of the most noteworthy things about his service was the time he spent as a bodyguard for General Ulysses S. Grant during the Battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862. Interestingly, Bradley joined up with the 2nd Iowa Infantry on February 15, 1862 and participated in their celebrated attack that broke the Confederate right and precipitated the surrender of the fort on the following day. The charge of the 2nd Iowa will be the feature of my next blog post as I have a number of accounts from Ohioans who participated as members of the 2nd Iowa. Bradley's letter saw print in the March 13, 1862 issue of the...
Read more