The Enemy in This Neighborhood Has Become Quite Saucy: Confederate Accounts of the Battle of Tazewell

In early August 1862, General George Morgan, commanding Federals forces holding Cumberland Gap, acquired intelligence indicative of increased Confederate activity in eastern Tennessee. To smoke out Confederate intentions, he dispatched a 1,500-man force under Colonel John Decourcey to march towards the Clinch River. DeCourcey’s men were in camp at Tazewell, Tennessee on the morning of August 6, 1862, when Kirby Smith’s army made their presence known and attacked the Federals. The resulting ‘Battle’ of Tazewell lasted through most of the day, eventually sent DeCourcey retreating to Cumberland Gap, and cost each side roughly 70 casualties.

          Among the Confederate forces at Cumberland Gap were several regiments of Georgians; today’s blog post features detailed accounts from an unknown soldier in the 40th Georgia, writing under the nom-de-plume of Stilesboro, likely named after a small farming community west of Cartersville in Bartow County. The second account is a brief campaign journal from the pen of Sergeant Major William J. Sloan of the 43rd Georgia. Both accounts appeared in the August 17, 1862, edition of the Atlanta Southern Confederacy.

 

The scrap at Tazewell marked the beginning of the end of the first Federal occupation of Cumberland Gap. By mid-September, General Morgan's division would commence its long march to the Ohio River and this large explosion, depicted above, marked their exit. Federal troops would return the following summer, this time under the command of General Ambrose E. Burnside. 

Account from ‘Stilesboro’ of the 40th Georgia Infantry

 

Battlefield near Tazewell, east Tennessee

August 7, 1862

          The enemy in this neighborhood has become quite saucy and our generals determined to show them how easy it was to send them back to the Gap at the double quick whenever we chose. So on the morning of August 5, General [Carter L.] Stevenson placed the 3rd Tennessee, 40th Georgia, 30th Alabama, and 40th Alabama regiments under General [Thomas H.] Taylor to find the Yanks, which he soon did. They were discovered eight regiments strong on Walden’s Ridge, the highest point near the place, with artillery planted which had been shelling the woods all day in every direction.

          The brave old 3rd Tennessee, led by the noble Colonel [John C.] Vaughn, opened the ball. After firing a few rounds, Colonel Johnson’s 40th Georgia came up and gave them three well-aimed volleys. By this time, the 30th and 40th Alabama regiments were ready. Very soon, General Taylor ordered us to charge the vandals. The 3rd Tennessee charged the 42nd Ohio; the 30th Alabama charged the 14th Kentucky, and the 40th Alabama charged the 18th Kentucky.

          I cannot speak for any of the regiments as to what they did in the charge except the 40th Georgia under Colonel Abda Johnson which made a very successful charge on the 16th Ohio. It was truly encouraging to hear the brave colonel calling on his men: “Come on, my brave boys, come on!” They gave a yell as they charged which was more than the Hessian vandals could stand from honest freemen. So they skedaddled Bull Run fashion, throwing away guns, knapsacks, overcoats, etc. The chase continued for a mile. The Yankee artillery from the high hill north of Tazewell kept up a continuous shelling of our troops. Our batteries, owing to the rough country, were unable to return their fire until very late in the evening. The enemy covered his retreat with his artillery till night when he withdrew and by 12 o’clock arrived at the Gap, a distance of 14 miles.

          The Federals were commanded by Colonel [John] DeCourcey. He was asleep in town while the fighting was going on. He got up hastily, dashed off towards the battleground, and met his forces coming down the hill at 2:40 with the Rebels close at their heels. He turned his horse about and led the advance backwards with a through ticket to the Gap sputtering, “the like was never known at S.” The position held by the Yanks might have been impregnable. It commands the whole country. But Georgians are not afraid of Yankee artillery, specially when supported by such troops.

          The field officers of the 40th Georgia who were present were Colonel Johnson, Major [Raleigh S.] Camp, and Adjutant [George W.] Warwick- three as gallant officers as the Empire State has sent to the field. Colonel Johnson has never left his men a day since March 19, the day his regiment was organized. The major and adjutant are old soldiers and have seen service at Donelson and Pensacola. Major Camp has been inspector general and provost marshal of the Third Brigade for more then three months while Adjutant Warwick has done the scouting and drilling.

          The 40th Georgia cut off two companies of the 16th Ohio, a part of which are still in the woods and mountains. After this, they took possession of the road which leads towards Morristown where they remained during the day. This morning, three companies took possession of the town. The number of Yankee prisoners taken, so far as I can learn, are 159, among these are one captain and one sergeant major of the 16th Ohio. The loss of the enemy in killed and wounded is unknown. They conveyed off all their dead up to the time of their retreat when they left 14 dead on the field. The people of Tazewell say they carried off 20 wagonloads before the retreat commenced.

          The victory was complete. All their commissary stores, consisting of 5,000 pounds of bacon, 50 barrels of flour, coffee, sugar, rice, molasses, and many cooking utensils. Most of the boys in the 40th Georgia procured a No. 1 overcoat and blanket apiece and a large number of knapsacks. There were 10 men wounded in the regiment- all doing well. It is gratifying to meet with the true people of this section since they have been relieved from the presence of the plundering invaders.

 


Journal of Sergeant Major William J. Sloan, 43rd Georgia Infantry

Camp of 43rd Georgia, Tazewell, Tennessee

August 11, 1862

The following is a short journal of our movements for the past few days:

Monday, August 4, 1862: Left Camp Hatton 20 miles above Knoxville after a hasty breakfast with only a very brief notice- no time to cook rations- no chance to carry baggage, except to tote it, things generally a disadvantage. During the day, we passed through a series of gaps in Clinch Mountain, presenting the most brilliant scenery with the finest springs of water I ever saw. Camped at night four miles from Clinch River and slept on our arms.

Tuesday, August 5, 1862: Remained where we had slept until 1 p.m. when we pressed forward, fording the Clinch River which was 300-400 yards in width and I would here remark I have never seen exactly so many men in uniform- no difference in appearance- as when crossing that river. Halted at 1 a.m. on Wednesday- slept on our arms in wet grass and on rocks- sleep delightful, however.

Wednesday, August 6, 1862: Formed line before day and at daylight moved slowly towards Tazewell, halting once to each furlong until within two miles of town where we lay in dense woods to await movements. At 10 a.m., the Yankees began to throw shells at our forces who were approaching from Bean’s Station, their heavy guns making three or four reports to the minute. Thus, it progressed, increasing in frequency, until at length the small arms chimed in and crash after crash rent the air.

At 1 or 2 p.m., we (43rd Georgia) formed into line of battle to cut off a flank movement of the enemy, at the same time supporting a battery, and thus we remained for some time. At 3 or 4 p.m., we were ordered to move around to the east of town in support of a battery. This we did, performing a forced march of 7-8 miles in 90 minutes time. We arrived at the top of Walden’s Ridge (very high) one mile east of town in time to see the smoke from the enemy’s guns as they threw their last shells. We drove the enemy from their position on top of the ridge and slept that night on the battlefield. Our loss, perhaps a dozen killed and 40-50 wounded, that of the enemy estimated heavier. A number of their dead and wounded were left on the field and citizens report that they carried off their dead by wagon loads.

Thursday, August 7, 1862: Dense fog-no sound to be heard. As the fog cleared away, no enemy to be seen. As time advanced, evidences proved that the Yankees had pulled up stakes and gone. Here we lie on Monday August 11 with bomb marks all around us, both on earth and timber, and I see no appearance of a fight. The Georgians in the fight were the 40th, 42nd, and 52nd and I am informed that no body of men every acted more bravely, collectively or individually. Our forces captured 60-70 prisoners, the 42nd Georgia taking most of them.

 To learn about the Battle of Tazewell from a Federal perspective, please check out "The Tazewell Scrap: A Voice from the 42nd Ohio." 

Sources:

Letter from Stilesboro, 40th Georgia Infantry, Atlanta Southern Confederacy (Georgia), August 17, 1862, pg. 2

Journal of Sergeant Major William J. Sloan, 43rd Georgia Infantry, Atlanta Southern Confederacy (Georgia), August 17, 1862, pg. 2

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

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

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

Meeting "Old Rosey": General Rosecrans Reviews His New Command

Image
On October 26, 1862, newly promoted Major General William S. Rosecrans departed Corinth, Mississippi under orders to report to Cincinnati, Ohio. Rumors had been rampant for weeks that President Lincoln had desired removing General Don Carlos Buell from command of the Army of Ohio, and now it was clear that Rosecrans would be Buell’s successor. The War Department’s handling of the removal of Buell is worthy of a story in its own, but today’s post will examine how Rosecrans introduced himself to his men. General Rosecrans atop "Boney" leads a contingent of staff officers and leading generals of the Army of the Cumberland in this watercolor painting by William Travis.  The differences between the leadership styles of Buell and Rosecrans could hardly be more pronounced. Buell, despite his competence and recognized ability at organization, came across to his volunteer soldiers as a haughty, stiff, humorless West Pointer, unapproachable, and unpopular. Rosecrans, as the following...
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

With a Yell and a Charge: Captain Morton’s Artillery Charge at Brice’s Crossroads

Image
A mong the more extraordinary incidents of the Battle of Crossroads was the artillery charge by Captain John W. Morton and his battery. The 21-year-old, General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s chief of artillery, recalled the charge in a letter to his father a few days after the engagement.           “About 1 o’clock, everything, artillery and all, was ordered to charge,” he noted. “Our line moved promptly with a deafening shout and hail of bullets and balls which told terribly upon the enemy which broke their lines and put them in perfect confusion and rout. I charged with the batteries nine times. Once I had two pieces a little in advance of the others and with them in a charge was 20 or 30 yards in advance of our line when we drove the enemy. Just before we captured their wagons, they made a desperate stand and with their reserves concentrated, charged our right flank which gave way and fell back upon the two right pieces of my battery. The en...
Read more

With the Regulars at Stones River

Image
     For the 15th U.S. Infantry, the Battle of Stones River was a confusing and very bloody affair. As part of the newly formed Regular Brigade of the Army of the Cumberland, the regiment waded into the dark cedar forest on the morning of December 31, 1862 and promptly found themselves in a swirling cauldron of smoke, bullets, falling tree limbs, and shrieking Confederates. As related in this extraordinary account written by Sergeant Frank Reed of Co. H, the 15th U.S. took heavy losses before they were able to extract themselves from the mess, losses totaling a third of regiment. The 27 year-old former school teacher from Harrison County, Ohio was later captured September 19, 1863 at the Battle of Chickamauga and died from smallpox as a POW at Danville, Virginia on February 5, 1864. (Thanks Kim Torgler!)       Reed's account was originally published in the January 30, 1863 issue of the Ohio Democrat of New Philadelphia, Ohio. Regular Brigade Monume...
Read more

The Forlorn Hope at Vicksburg

Image
“The forlorn hope.” The very words are chilling and evoke a desperate and deadly military enterprise which has little or no chance of success; a guaranteed ticket to the grave. On May 22, 1863 outside Vicksburg, Mississippi, 150 volunteers from General Frank Blair’s division of William T. Sherman’s 15 th Army Corps signed up for just such a desperate endeavor. The men were to carry logs, planks, and ladders. Their mission was to approach Stockade Redan near the northeast corner of the Vicksburg fortifications and bridge the ditch in front of the fort so that the onrushing Union infantry behind them could reach the works. The end goal was worth the sacrifice: the capture of Vicksburg was the primary aim of Grant’s army and here existed an opportunity to seize the jewel prize of the campaign. The Forlorn Hope at Vicksburg on May 22, 1863             Among the 150 volunteers were two men from Co. I of the 30 th Ohio Volunteer Inf...
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

It is a Rough Life: Taking New Orleans with the 12th Connecticut

Image
F irst impressions often make lasting impressions, and for Sergeant Charles Evans of the 12th Connecticut, the first impression made by the citizens of New Orleans boils down to one word: surly. One example of this was when his regiment disembarked on the afternoon of May 2, 1862, the 12th Connecticut being among the first Union troops to occupy the city.  “Late in the afternoon of May 2 nd , we were ordered to land in the midst of thousands of secessionist soldiers and citizens,” he wrote his brother back home in Connecticut. “As each company descended from the ship to the dock, they were brought to a front and ordered to load which gave the Rebels to understand what they had to deal with in case of a street fight. And we confidently expected it. The bitterness exhibited by the vast gathering boded nothing else. The women were more insulting than the men owing, I suppose, to the worldwide reputation of gallantry on the part of Yankee soldiers. The taunts were intolerable and onl...
Read more