Issue 23, summer 2014
The Sesquicentennial
Commemoration
In June, July and August of 1864, with less
than ten months left in the War, fierce and
deadly battles continued. There were a
myriad of “smaller” engagements throughout
the South as well as the major conflicts at
Cold Harbor, Atlanta and the Marietta
Operations, Kennesaw Mountain and the
slaughter at Petersburg. One bright spot for
the South was Forrest’s performance at
Brice’s Crossroads but one inspired victory
could not offset the continued critical loss of
men and materiel by the Confederacy.
Sherman had designs on Atlanta and Grant
wanted to attack Richmond and the armies of
the South were dwindling. It was a time of
crisis but Lee, Johnson, Hood and the others
fought on.
Confederate Prisoners
Prisoner exchange had virtually ceased and
this further added to the Southern woes. As
we now know the lack of exchange also
created places like Andersonville.
The summaries of the summer Battles begin
on the next page.
1
The Summer Battles
Accepting his loss and abandoning the welldefended approaches to Richmond, Grant
sought to shift his army quickly south of the
river to threaten Petersburg.
Grant continued his Overland Campaign and
on May 31 the bloody Battle of Cold Harbor
began. This included the Cavalry engagement
at Trevilian Station and a concluding battle
known as Saint Mary’s Church. Summaries
of these three combats follow.
Cold Harbor
Location: Hanover County VA
Campaign: Grant’s Overland Campaign
(May-June 1864)
Dates: May 31-June 12, 1864
Principal Commanders: Lt. Gen. Ulysses S.
Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade [US];
Gen. Robert E. Lee [CS]
Forces Engaged: 170,000 total (US 108,000;
CS 62,000)
Estimated Casualties: 15,500 total (US
13,000; CS 2,500)
Description: On May 31, Sheridan’s cavalry
seized the vital crossroads of Old Cold
Harbor. Early on June 1, relying heavily on
their new repeating carbines and shallow
entrenchments, Sheridan’s troopers threw
back an attack by Confederate infantry.
Confederate reinforcements arrived from
Richmond and from the Totopotomoy Creek
lines. Late on June 1, the Union VI and XVIII
Corps reached Cold Harbor and assaulted
the Confederate works with some success. By
June 2, both armies were on the field,
forming on a seven-mile front that extended
from Bethesda Church to the Chickahominy
River. At dawn June 3, the II and XVIII
Corps, followed later by the IX Corps,
assaulted along the Bethesda Church-Cold
Harbor line and were slaughtered at all
points. Grant commented in his memoirs that
this was the only attack he wished he had
never ordered. The armies confronted each
other on these lines until the night of June 12,
when Grant again advanced by his left flank,
marching to the James River. On June 14, the
II Corps was ferried across the river at
Wilcox’s Landing by transports. On June 15,
the rest of the army began crossing on a
2,200-foot long pontoon bridge at Weyanoke.
Artist Concept of Cold Harbor Battle
Cold Harbor Battle Lines
Recovering Bodies at Cold Harbor
2
Trevilian Station
Saint Mary’s Church
Location: Gordonsville VA
Campaign: Grant’s Overland Campaign
(May-June 1864)
Dates: June 11-12 1864
The Battle of Trevilian Station was the
largest all-cavalry battle of the Civil War. In
June 1864, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant ordered
Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan to make a raid
along the Virginia Central Railroad, destroy
the road at the crucial junction town of
Gordonsville,
and
then
march
to
Charlottesville, destroy the supply depot
there, and rendezvous with the army of Maj.
Gen. David Hunter. The combined force
would then march east, where it would join
the Army of the Potomac at Petersburg.
Sheridan marched on June 7, taking two
divisions of cavalry and four batteries of
horse artillery, about 9,000 men. Maj. Gen.
Wade Hampton, leading two divisions of
Confederate cavalry pursued the next day,
and by utilizing shorter, interior routes of
march, Hampton, along with the division of
Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, got across
Sheridan's route of march at Trevilian
Station, a stop on the Virginia Central six
miles west of Louisa and six miles southeast
of Gordonsville, on June 10.
The battle, ranging over 7,000 acres, raged
for two days.
Location: Charles City VA
Campaign: Grant’s Overland Campaign
(May-June 1864)
Date: June 24, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Philip
Sheridan [US]; Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton
[CS]
Forces Engaged: Divisions
Estimated Casualties: 630 total
Description: On June 24, Maj. Gen. Wade
Hampton’s cavalry attempted to cut off
Sheridan’s cavalry returning from their raid
to Trevilian Station. Sheridan fought a
delaying action to protect a long supply train
under his protection, then rejoined the Union
army at Bermuda Hundred.
Saint Mary’s Church
This ended Grant’s Overland Campaign and
Union forces withdrew to regroup and
resupply before the upcoming RichmondPetersburg Campaign.
Battle of Trevilian Station
In the meantime Sherman had initiated his
attempts to attack, surround and capture
Atlanta. He and Joe Johnson were now
beginning their cat and mouse game of seeing
who could trap who! General Johnson was
relieved by John Bell Hood during this time
and Sherman changed some of his plans
because of that but continued his overall
strategy. The map on the following page
indicates the location of the many battle sites
in the Atlanta Campaign.
Battlefield Marker
3
The Atlanta Campaign
Marietta Operations
Operations in the Atlanta Campaign began in
May of 1864 and lasted through September.
The summer battles are covered in this issue
of the newsletter. From June 10 until July 4
there were continuous battles and skirmishes
in and around Marietta. Battle lines would be
formed by the Confederates only to be
broken or circumvented by Union troops and
vice-versa. The battle field was unstable as
each Commander tried to outwit the other.
Not a lot of detail is available for some of
these engagements simply because of the
continually fluctuating state of the Battlefield.
The Battle of Marietta was a series of military
operations from June 9 through July 3, 1864,
in Cobb County, Georgia. The Union forces,
led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh
Sherman, encountered the Confederate Army
of Tennessee, led by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston,
entrenched near Marietta, Georgia. A series
of engagements were fought during this fourweek period, including the battles of Brushy
Mountain, Pine Mountain, Gilgal Church,
Lost Mountain, Mcafee’s Cross Roads, Mud
Creek, Neal Dow Station, Noonday Creek,
Pine Knob, Rottenwood Creek, Ruff’s Mill,
Kolb's Farm and Kennesaw Mountain.
4
Battle Summaries:
Forces Engaged: Military Division of the
Mississippi [US]; Army of Tennessee [CS]
On June 15th, the Federal 23th Corps
struck Hardees line at Pine Knob. The
attack did not succeed in driving the
confederates
from
their
main
entrenchments, but they did force the
confederate skirmishers to fall back and
allowed the Federal troop to gain a
foothold near the Confederate lines.
During the night of the 15th Hardee pulled
back to Mud Creek.
Description: During the Atlanta Campaign,
instead of frontally attacking Johnston’s
army which would cause too many casualties,
Sherman usually attempted to maneuver the
enemy out of defensive positions. Thus, when
Sherman first found Johnston entrenched in
the Marietta area on June 9, he began
extending his lines beyond the Confederate
lines, causing some Rebel withdrawal to new
positions. On June 18-19, Johnston withdrew
to an arc-shaped position centered on
Kennesaw Mountain. Sherman made some
unsuccessful attacks on this position but
eventually extended the line on his right and
forced Johnston to withdraw from the
Marietta area on July 2-3.
From 4 June to 18 June 1864, the
Confederates occupied a 10-mile long line
from Lost Mountain to Brushy Mountain.
From 4 June to 15 June, they also occupied
an advance position on Pine Mountain. On
June 14, 1864, Confederate General
Leonidas Polk became a casualty of the war.
He was scouting enemy positions near
Marietta, Georgia with his staff when he
was killed in action by a Federal 3-inch
(76 mm) shell at Pine Mountain. The
artillery fire was initiated when Sherman
spotted a cluster of Confederate officers—
Polk, Hardee, Johnston, and their staffs—in
an exposed area. He pointed them out to
Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard, commander of
the IV Corps, and ordered him to fire on
them.
The 5th Indiana Battery, commanded by
Capt. Peter Simonson, obeyed the order
within minutes. The first round came close
and a second even closer, causing the men to
disperse. The third shell struck Polk's left
arm, went through the chest, and exited
hitting his right arm then exploded against a
tree, cutting Polk nearly in two.
The Mud Creek Line was occupied 17-18
June, during which time Lieutenant General
Leonidas Polk’s nephew, Brigadier General
Lucius Polk, was wounded in the knee,
rendering him incapable of field service for
the rest of the war.
5
Mud Creek on June 17. Sherman moved
Hooker to the south to join Schofield in a
maneuver designed to potentially outflank
Kennesaw Mountain.
Noonday Creek/McAFee’s Crossroads
General Garrard was ordered by General
Sherman to interpose between General
Joseph Wheeler's cavalry and detached
infantry at Noonday Creek, which was just a
few miles from Sherman's headquarters at
Big Shanty. When, after a week, Garrard
failed to do so, two brigades of infantry and
three brigades of cavalry with artillery
support were advanced against the
Confederate positions on June 9. Two charges
failed, and the Union Army retired from the
field, however, Wheeler's cavalry was moved
to a position between Bell's Ferry and Canton
Road. On June 10, the 15th regiment Iowa
Veteran Volunteer Infantry pushed the
enemy across Noonday Creek after heavy
fighting.
On June 15, a division of Union Cavalry
attacked and was repelled. On June 17, the
Federals pushed Wheeler down Bell's Ferry
Road, where he retired to Doctor Robert
McAfee's house. On June 19, the Union
Army attacked but was driven off with heavy
losses.
On June 23, Colonel Eli Long, USA, crossed
Noonday Creek with his brigade. He was
attacked at that time but repelled the
attackers.
Federal infantry probed the Lost MountainBrushy Mountain Line at several points on
several occasions, while cavalry operations
were near continuous on both flanks. Noting
that the Federals were in position to flank his
line to the south, Johnston withdrew from the
Mud Creek Line and Brushy Mountain Line
to the Kennesaw Mountain Line on the
evening of 18-19 June.
Gilgal Church
Hardee had established his center in the
vicinity of Mud Creek. On June 15, 1864,
Sherman ordered a general advance because
of the Rebel withdrawal from Pine Mountain
and found them again in a line anchored by
dependable Pat Cleburne from Gilgal Church
to Kennesaw Mountain. Sherman ordered
Hooker to engage the Rebel left in a general
attack while McPherson engaged the Army of
Tennessee in the vicinity of Acworth.
Daniel Butterfield, probably most famous for
composing "Taps" during the Seven Days
Retreat, and a portion of John Geary's
Division struck Cleburne from the north
while Milo Haskall, a brigadier under
Schofield, moved in from the west. After a
sharp engagement known as the Battle of
Gilgal Church with between 800-1,000
causalities Hardee withdrew Cleburne and
formed a line running north and south along
Noonday Creek
6
Kolb's Farm
Neal Dow/Ruff’s Mill
Date: June 22, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. John M.
Schofield and Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker [US];
Lt. Gen. John B. Hood [CS]
Forces Engaged: Two corps [US]; Hood s
Corps [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 1,350 total (US 350; CS
1,000)
Description: On the night of June 18-19, Gen.
Joseph E. Johnston, fearing envelopment,
moved his army to a new, previously selected
position astride Kennesaw Mountain, an
entrenched arc-shaped line to the west of
Marietta, to protect his supply line, the
Western & Atlantic Railroad. Having
encountered entrenched Rebels astride
Kennesaw Mountain stretching southward,
Sherman fixed them in front and extended his
right wing to envelop their flank and menace
the railroad. Joe Johnston countered by
moving John B. Hood’s corps from the left
flank to the right on June 22. Arriving in his
new position at Mt. Zion Church, Hood
decided, on his own, to attack. Schofield and
Hooker, having learned of Hood´s plans from
some captured Confederates, ordered their
troops to dig in. At 4:00 p.m. Hood sent two
of his three divisions towards the waiting
Federals. After several unsuccessful charges
through the woods, fields, and swamps across
the road, the battered Confederates
withdrew. Although the victor, Sherman’s
attempts at envelopment had failed.
On July 1, 1863, the 23rd Army Corp
established a position at the Moss House
(Floyd Station). This placed the 23rd AC
closer to the Chattahoochee River than the
Confederates at Kennesaw. The Confederate
forces under General Johnston withdrew
from their Kennesaw Line the night of July 23 and took up a new position at a double line
of breastworks, prepared in advance, running
from the old Smyrna Camp Ground east of
the R.R. From this point, the Confederate line
ran east to Nickajack Creek, south of Ruff´s
Mill. Maj. Gen. William W. Loring's Corp on
the right, Lieut. Gen. William J. Hardee
Corp. held the center and Lieut. Gen. John B.
Hood's Corp the left. This line became known
as the Smyrna-Ruff Mill line.
The Battle of Neal Dow (Smyrna Camp
Ground) then took place on July 3 and the
Battle of Ruff's Mill at Nickajack Creek
occurred on July 4.
On July 4th, 1864, the 4th AC, commanded
by Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard, attacked the
Confederate forces east of the rail line in
Smyrna but failed to break the Confederate
line. Concurrent with this attack, Brig. Gen.
John Fuller´s Brigade, 4th division of the 16th
AC, attacked Gen. Hood´s Corps along
Nickajack creek. This attack also failed.
Later on the 4th, Gen. Fuller´s men,
supported by Brig. Gen. Thomas W.
7
Sweeny´s 2nd division succeeded in capturing
the first line of breastworks.
Maj. Gen. Francis P. Blair´s 17th AC of the
Army of the Tennessee was also able to drive
Maj. Gen. Gustavus Smith’s Georgia Militia
and Brig. Gen. L.S. Ross´ Texas Cavalry
Brigade back toward Smyrna.
With his left threatened, General Johnston
was forced to retreat to a prepared position
west of the Chattahoochee at the Railroad
Crossing.
Most of the buildings in the battle area were
burned by Sherman's troops. Notable
exceptions were the Smyrna Academy which
served as a Confederate and Union hospital,
Ruff's Mill, the Ruff family home and the
Gann House.
Kennesaw Mountain
Date: June 27, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. William
T. Sherman [US]; Gen. Joseph E. Johnston
[CS]
Forces Engaged: Military Division of the
Mississippi [US]; Army of Tennessee [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 4,000 total (US 3,000;
CS 1,000)
Description: On the night of June 18-19, Gen.
Joseph E. Johnston, fearing envelopment,
withdrew his army to a new, previously
selected position astride Kennesaw Mountain.
This entrenched arc-shaped line, to the north
and west of Marietta, protected the Western
& Atlantic Railroad, the supply link to
Atlanta. Having defeated General John B.
Hood troops at Kolb's Farm on the 22nd,
8
Sherman was sure that Johnston had
stretched his line too thin and therefore
decided on a frontal attack with some
diversions on the flanks. On the morning of
June 27, Sherman sent his troops forward
after an artillery bombardment. At first, they
made
some
headway
overrunning
Confederate pickets south of the Burnt
Hickory Road, but attacking an enemy that
was dug in was futile. The fighting ended by
noon, and Sherman had suffered very high
casualties.
battlefields around Kennesaw Mountain. He
would now turn southward toward the
Chattahoochee River and the prize of
Atlanta.
Sherman’s activities meant that Johnston
must abandon his strong positions at the
mountain and retire southward to protect his
railroad lifeline to Atlanta. What followed
would be a race for the Chattahoochee with
an opportunity, Sherman believed, to
embarrass Johnston’s Confederates in the act
of crossing the river. Instead he found the
Rebels with new defenses along an east-towest-running ridge just north of Smyrna;
flanks anchored near Rottenwood Creek at
the river on the east, and fish-hooked at the
west on a hill two miles from Ruff’s Mill. At 4
p.m. on July 4, a column of six regiments
from Dodge’s Sixteenth Corps led by Colonel
E.F. Noyes (39th Ohio Infantry) attacked an
advanced position near this angle, capturing
the line and about 100 prisoners.
Kennesaw Mountain 1864
Rottenwood Creek Gorge
Kennesaw Mountain Today
As the Marietta Operations wound down
Sherman set his sights on Atlanta.
Sherman and Johnson would now move
south with their attacks and counterattacks. However, Johnson would not be
given the opportunity to continue battling
Sherman. On July 17, Confederate
Rottenwood Creek
With roads dried out, with sufficient supplies
accumulated, and with the last units of
McPherson’s Army of the Tennessee shifted
from positions at Brushy Mountain and
elsewhere for purposes of coordinating with
and eventually replacing Schofield’s army in
turning the Confederate left, Sherman
abandoned his month-long focus on the
President Jefferson Davis replaced General
Johnston with John Bell Hood as commander
of the Army of Tennessee.
9
Davis, impatient with Johnston's defensive
strategy in the Atlanta campaign, felt that
Hood stood a better chance of saving Atlanta
from the forces of Union General William T.
Sherman. In a telegram informing Johnston
of his decision, Davis wrote, "You failed to
arrest the advance of the enemy to the
vicinity of Atlanta, far in the interior of
Georgia, and express no confidence that you
can defeat or repel him, you are hereby
relieved from command of the Army and
Department of Tennessee, which you will
immediately turn over to General Hood."
Atlanta was still the goal and Sherman
wasted no time in preparing to continue to
carry the battle to the Confederates.
New Confederate Commander
John Bell Hood
JOHNSON
Hood immediately challenged Sherman
At the Battle of
Peachtree Creek
SHERMAN
Battle Summary
Date: July 20, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. George H.
Thomas [US]; Gen. John B. Hood [CS]
Forces Engaged: Army of the Cumberland
[US]; Army of Tennessee [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 6,506 total (US 1,710;
CS 4,796)
Description: Under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston,
the Army of Tennessee had retired south of
Peachtree Creek, an east to west flowing
stream, about three miles north of Atlanta.
Sherman split his army into three columns
for the assault on Atlanta with George H.
Thomas’s Army of the Cumberland moving
from the north. Johnston had decided to
attack Thomas, but Confederate President
Jefferson Davis relieved him of command and
appointed John B. Hood to take his place.
Hood attacked Thomas after his army
crossed Peachtree Creek. The determined
assault threatened to overrun the Union
troops at various locations. Ultimately,
though, the Yankees held, and the Rebels fell
back.
General Johnson yielded Command to
General Hood. Sherman, learning of the
change had strategy meetings with his staff to
change plans as required to battle the more
aggressive Hood.
10
At the Peachtree Creek Bridge, Thomas in
person emplaced Ward´s two batteries on the
high ground along Peachtree Hills Avenue.
Canister from these guns shattered Bate´s
right. Already suffering from Bradley´s
musketry, his men fell back. Having no
reserves, Hardee could not renew the attack
so he withdrew. About 4:00, Stewart´s corps
attacked. Loring moved forward with
Featherston´s brigade on the right, Scott on
the left. Featherston´s men crossed Tanyard
Branch and moved through dense wood into
a wide clearing. They reformed their lines
(astride Dellwood Drive) under fire from
Geary´s batteries, firing from their left.
Sweeping back the Federal picket line
barricaded along it, they charged over Collier
Road and into the gap between Newton´s
right and Geary´s left; but a cross fire of
musketry from those positions, together with
Ward´s arrival, drove them back with severe
losses. Ward´s men took position along
Collier Road.
Peachtree Creek Marker
Peachtree Marker text
On July 20th, Hood ordered the attack to
begin at 1:00 P.M. Hardee and Stewart were
to advance, drive the enemy back to the
creek, and then west into the angle formed by
the creek and the river; but events east of
Atlanta caused the line to be shifted about a
mile to the east, delaying the attack until all
but Ward´s division of the enemy had
occupied strong ground in line of battle.
Bate´s division (Hardee´s right) halted with
its right on Clear Creek and its left reaching
Walker´s right near Peachtree and Spring
Street. Walker´s left met Maney´s right near
Brookwood Station. Maney´s left joined the
right of Loring´s division (Stewart´s right)
which now occupied Loring Heights. Loring´s
left extended to meet Walthall´s right near
Northside Drive and Bellemeade Avenue.
Walthall´s left regiment halted west of Howell
Mill Road. About 3:30, Hardee moved
forward, Stewart a half hour later. Walker´s
advance, astride Peachtree Road, was
impeded by uncut forest growth, Maney´s by
miry creek bottom and steep hills, Bates by
swampy, densely-thicketed bottom of Clear
Creek. At Collier Road, Walker´s charging
men met a withering fire of musketry and
canister from Newton´s lines. Although they
fought desperately, heavy losses forced them
back. On their left, Maney´s men also met
defeat. In the creek bottoms, Bates swung
around Newton´s left flank to attack his rear;
but Bradley´s men, massed along the road
overlooking the creek, met them with
musketry.
Atlanta
Location: Fulton County
Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864)
Date: Beginning July 22, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. William
T. Sherman [US]; Gen. John Bell Hood [CS]
Forces Engaged: Military Division of the
Mississippi [US]; Army of Tennessee [CS]
Description: Following the Battle of
Peachtree Creek, Hood determined to attack
Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson’s Army of
the Tennessee. He withdrew his main army at
night from Atlanta’s outer line to the inner
line, enticing Sherman to follow. In the
meantime, he sent William J. Hardee with his
corps on a fifteen-mile march to hit the
unprotected Union left and rear, east of the
city. Wheeler’s cavalry was to operate farther
out on Sherman’s supply line, and Gen.
Frank Cheatham’s corps was to attack the
Union front. Hood, however, miscalculated
the time necessary to make the march, and
Hardee was unable to attack until afternoon.
11
Although Hood had outmaneuvered Sherman
for the time being, McPherson was concerned
about his left flank and sent his reserves—
Grenville Dodge’s XVI Army Corps—to that
location. Two of Hood’s divisions ran into this
reserve force and were repulsed. The Rebel
attack stalled on the Union rear but began to
roll up the left flank. Around the same time, a
Confederate soldier shot and killed
McPherson when he rode out to observe the
fighting. Determined attacks continued, but
the Union forces held. About 4:00 pm,
Cheatham’s corps broke through the Union
front at the Hurt House, but Sherman massed
twenty artillery pieces on a knoll near his
headquarters to shell these Confederates and
halt their drive. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan’s
XV Army Corps then led a counterattack
that restored the Union line. The Union
troops held, and Hood suffered high
casualties.
On July 27, Sherman resumed operations
against the city by shifting to the west side to
cut the Macon & Western Railroad. Several
additional battles occurred outside of the city
before Atlanta's fall on September 2.
Attack!
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta cost Union forces 3,641
casualties while Confederate losses totaled
around 5,500. For the second time in two
days, Hood had failed to destroy a wing of
Sherman's command. Though a problem
earlier in the campaign McPherson's cautious
nature proved fortuitous as Sherman's initial
orders would have left the Union flank
completely exposed. In the wake of the
fighting, Sherman gave command of the
Army of the Tennessee to Major General
Oliver O. Howard. This greatly angered XX
Corps commander Major General Joseph
Hooker who felt entitled to the post and who
blamed Howard for his defeat at the Battle of
Chancellorsville.
Counter Attack!
Ezra Church
Other Name: Battle of the Poor House
Location: Fulton County
Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864)
Date: July 28, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Oliver O.
Howard [US]; Gen. John B. Hood [CS]
Forces Engaged: Army of the Tennessee
[US]; two corps of Army of Tennessee [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 3,562 total (US 562; CS
3,000)
12
Description: Earlier, Maj. Gen. William T.
Sherman’s forces had approached Atlanta
from the east and north. Hood had not
defeated them, but he had kept them away
from the city. Sherman now decided to attack
from the west. He ordered the Army of the
Tennessee, commanded by Maj. Gen. O.O.
Howard, to move from the left wing to the
right and cut Hood’s last railroad supply line
between East Point and Atlanta. Hood
foresaw such a maneuver and determined to
send the two corps of Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee
and Lt. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart to
intercept and destroy the Union force. Thus,
on the afternoon of July 28, the Rebels
assaulted Howard at Ezra Church. Howard
had anticipated such a thrust, entrenched one
of his corps in the Confederates’ path, and
repulsed the determined attack, inflicting
numerous casualties. Howard, however,
failed to cut the railroad.
Utoy Creek
Battle of Ezra Church
(Picture from Harper’s Weekly)
Location: Fulton County
Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864)
Dates: August 5-7, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. John M.
Schofield [US]; Gen. John B. Hood [CS]
Forces Engaged: Army of the Ohio [US];
Army of Tennessee [CS]
Estimated Casualties: Unknown
Description: After failing to envelop Hood’s
left flank at Ezra Church, Sherman still
wanted to extend his right flank to hit the
railroad between East Point and Atlanta. He
transferred John M. Schofield’ s Army of the
Ohio from his left to his right flank and sent
him to the north bank of Utoy Creek.
Although Schofield’s troops were at Utoy
Creek on August 2, they, along with the XIV
Corps, Army of the Cumberland, did not
cross until the 4th. Schofield’s force began its
movement to exploit this situation on the
morning of the 5th, which was initially
successful. Schofield then had to regroup his
forces, which took the rest of the day. The
delay allowed the Rebels to strengthen their
defenses with abatis, which slowed the Union
attack when it restarted on the morning of
the 6th. The Federals were repulsed with
heavy losses by Bate’s Division and failed in
an attempt to break the railroad. On the 7th,
the Union troops moved toward the
Confederate main line and entrenched. Here
they remained until late August.
Ezra Church House
Utoy Creek
13
Dalton II
Lovejoy’s Station
Location: Whitfield County
Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864)
Dates: August 14-15, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. James B.
Steedman [US]; Maj. Gen. J. Wheeler [CS]
Forces Engaged: District of Etowah [US];
Wheeler’s cavalry force [CS]
Estimated Casualties: Unknown
Description: Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler and
his cavalry raided into North Georgia to
destroy railroad tracks and supplies. They
approached Dalton in the late afternoon of
August 14 and demanded the surrender of
the garrison. The Union commander, Col.
Bernard Laibolt, refused to surrender and
fighting ensued. Greatly outnumbered, the
Union garrison retired to fortifications on a
hill outside the town where they successfully
held out, although the attack continued until
after midnight. Skirmishing continued
throughout the night. Around 5:00 am, on the
15th, Wheeler retired and became engaged
with relieving infantry and cavalry under
Maj. Gen. James B. Steedman’s command.
Eventually,
Wheeler
withdrew.
The
contending forces’ reports vary greatly in
describing the fighting, the casualties, and the
amount of track and supplies captured and
destroyed.
Location: Clayton County
Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864)
Date: August 20, 1864
Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. H. Judson
Kilpatrick [US]; Brig. Gen. William H.
Jackson [CS]
Forces Engaged: Kilpatrick’s Cavalry
Division [US]; Jackson’s Cavalry Division
[CS]
Estimated Casualties: Unknown
Description: While Confederate Maj. Gen.
Joseph Wheeler was absent raiding Union
supply lines from North Georgia to East
Tennessee, Maj. Gen. William Sherman,
unconcerned, sent Judson Kilpatrick to raid
Rebel supply lines. Leaving on August 18,
Kilpatrick hit the Atlanta & West Point
Railroad that evening, tearing up a small area
of tracks. Next, Kilpatrick headed for
Lovejoy’s Station on the Macon & Western
Railroad. In transit, on the 19th, Kilpatrick’s
men hit the Jonesborough supply depot on
the Macon & Western Railroad, burning
great amounts of supplies. On the 20th, they
reached Lovejoy’s Station and began their
destruction. Rebel infantry (Cleburne’s
Division) appeared and the raiders were
forced to fight into the night, finally fleeing to
prevent encirclement. Although Kilpatrick
had destroyed supplies and track at Lovejoy’s
Station, the railroad line was back in
operation in two days.
Battle of Dalton
Lovejoy’s Station Monument
Dalton Reenactment
14
The “Atlanta Campaign” was over and
Sherman prepared for his scorched earth
March to the Sea. Although the War had less
than a year before its end the fighting was
still fierce and continuous. As the fighting
around Atlanta ended, Nathan Bedford
Forrest headed west to Mississippi where he
was assigned to defend that state as much as
he could. He began with a surprising victory
at a place called Brice’s Cross Roads. He also
engaged the Union forces at Tupelo and made
a raid on Memphis.
Jonesboro
At the Battle of Jonesboro, General Sherman
launched the attack that finally secured
Atlanta for the Union, and sealed the fate of
Confederate General John Bell Hood's army,
which was forced to evacuate the area.
The Battle of Jonesboro was the culmination
of Sherman’s four-month campaign to
capture Atlanta. He had spent the summer
driving his army down the 100-mile corridor
from Chattanooga against a Confederate
force led by General Joseph Johnston.
General Hood, who replaced Johnston in July
on the outskirts of Atlanta, proceeded to
attack Sherman in an attempt to drive him
northward. However, these attacks failed,
and by August 1 the armies had settled into a
siege.
In late August, Sherman swung his army
south of Atlanta to cut the main rail line
supplying the Rebel army. Confederate
General William Hardee's corps moved to
block Sherman at Jonesboro, and attacked
the Union troops on August 31, but the
Rebels were thrown back with staggering
losses. The entrenched Yankees lost just 178
men, while the Confederates lost nearly 2,000.
On September 1, Sherman attacked Hardee.
Though the Confederates held, Sherman
successfully cut the rail line and effectively
trapped the Rebels. Hardee had to abandon
his position, and Hood had no choice but to
withdraw from Atlanta. Atlanta had fallen.
*****
Brice's Cross Roads
Other Names: Tishomingo Creek
Campaign: Forrest’s Defense of Mississippi
Date: June 10, 1864
Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. Samuel D.
Sturgis [US]; Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford
Forrest [CS]
Forces Engaged: Three-brigade division of
infantry and a division of cavalry (about
8,500 ) [US]; cavalry corps [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 3,105 total (US 2,610;
CS 495)
The Battle of Brice's Crossroads was fought
on June 10, 1864, near Baldwyn in Lee
County, Mississippi, during the American
Civil War. It pitted a force of about 2000 men
led by Confederate Major General Nathan
Bedford Forrest against an 8,500-strong
Union force led by Brigadier General Samuel
D. Sturgis. The battle ended in a rout of the
Union forces and cemented Forrest's
reputation as one of the great cavalrymen.
The battle remains a textbook example of an
outnumbered force prevailing through better
tactics, terrain mastery, and aggressive
offensive action.
Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman had
long known that his fragile supply and
communication lines through Tennessee were
in serious jeopardy because of depredations
by Forrest's cavalry raids. To effect a halt to
Forrest's activities, he ordered Gen. Sturgis
to conduct a penetration into northern
Mississippi and Alabama with a force of
15
around 8,500 troops to destroy Forrest and
his command. Sturgis, after some doubts and
trepidation, departed Memphis on June 1.
Gen. Stephen D. Lee, alerted of Sturgis's
movement, warned Forrest. Lee had also
planned
a
rendezvous
at
Okolona,
Mississippi, with Forrest and his own troops
but told Forrest to do as he saw fit. Already
in transit to Tennessee, Forrest moved his
cavalry (less one division) toward Sturgis, but
remained unsure of Union intentions.
Forrest soon surmised, correctly, that the
Union had actually targeted Tupelo,
Mississippi, located in Lee County, about 15
miles south of Brice's Crossroads. Although
badly outnumbered, he decided to repulse
Sturgis instead of waiting for Lee, and
selected an area to attack ahead on Sturgis's
projected path. He chose Brice's Crossroads,
in what is now Lee County, which featured
four muddy roads, heavily wooded areas, and
the natural boundary of Tishomingo Creek,
which had only one bridge going east to west.
Forrest, seeing that the Union cavalry moved
three hours ahead of its own infantry, devised
a plan that called for an attack on the Union
cavalry first, with the idea of forcing the
enemy infantry to hurry to assist them. Their
infantry would be too tired to offer real help
and the Confederates planned to push the
entire Union force against the creek to the
west. Forrest dispatched most of his men to
two nearby towns to wait. Forrest’s ploy
worked just as he planned. His brilliant
tactical
victory
against
long
odds
demonstrated his mastery of the use of
cavalry in battle situations.
Brice’s Cross Roads Monument
Tupelo
Other Names: Harrisburg
Location: Lee County
Campaign: Forrest’s Defense of Mississippi
Dates: July 14-15, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. A.J.
Smith [US]; Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee and
Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest [CS]
Forces Engaged: 1st and 3rd Infantry
Divisions and Cavalry Division, XVI Army
Corps, and 1st Brigade, U.S. Colored Troops
(14,000) [US]; Department of Alabama,
Mississippi, and East Louisiana [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 1,948 total (US 648; CS
1,300)
Description: Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith,
commanding a combined force of more than
14,000 men, left LaGrange, Tennessee, on
July 5, 1864, and advanced south. Smith’s
mission was to insure that Maj. Gen. Nathan
B. Forrest and his cavalry did not raid Maj.
Gen. William T. Sherman’s railroad lifeline
in Middle Tennessee and, thereby, prevent
supplies from reaching him in his campaign
against Atlanta. Laying waste to the
countryside as he advanced, Smith reached
Pontotoc, Mississippi, on July 11. Forrest was
in nearby Okolona with about 6,000 men, but
his commander, Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee, told
him he could not attack until he was
reinforced. Two days later, Smith, fearing an
ambush, moved east toward Tupelo. On the
previous day, Lee arrived near Pontotoc with
2,000 additional men and, under his
Brice’s Cross Roads Confederate Cemetery
16
command, the entire Confederate force
engaged Smith. Within two miles of the
Federals, on the night of the 13th, Lee
ordered an attack for the next morning. Lee
attacked at 7:30 am the next morning in a
number of uncoordinated assaults which the
Yankees beat back, causing heavy casualties.
Lee halted the fighting after a few hours.
Short on rations, Smith did not pursue but
started back to Memphis on the 15th.
Criticized for not destroying Forrest’s
command, Smith had caused much damage
and had fulfilled his mission of insuring
Sherman’s supply lines.
Description: At 4:00 am on the morning of
August 21, 1864, Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford
Forrest made a daring raid on Union-held
Memphis, Tennessee, but it was not an
attempt to capture the city, occupied by 6,000
Federal troops. The raid had three
objectives: to capture three Union generals
posted there; to release Southern prisoners
from Irving Block Prison; and to cause the
recall of Union forces from Northern
Mississippi. Striking northwestward for
Memphis with 2,000 cavalry, Forrest lost
about a quarter of his strength because of
exhausted
horses.
Surprise
was
essential. Taking advantage of a thick dawn
fog and claiming to be a Union patrol
returning with prisoners, the Confederates
eliminated the sentries. Galloping through the
streets and exchanging shots with other
Union troops, the raiders split to pursue
separate missions. One Union general was
not at his quarters and another escaped to
Fort Pickering dressed in his night-shirt. The
attack on Irving Block Prison also failed
when Union troops stalled the main body at
the State Female College. After two hours,
Forrest decided to withdraw, cutting
telegraph wires, taking 500 prisoners and
large quantities of supplies, including many
horses. Although Forrest failed in Memphis,
his raid influenced Union forces to return
there, from northern Mississippi, and provide
protection and thus was considered a
Confederate victory.
Tupelo Battlefield Marker
Marker Text
To our Confederate dead that gave their lives
in the battle here on July 14, 1864. For their
rights. Erected 1918
Memphis
Location: Shelby County TN
Campaign: Forrest’s Defense of Mississippi
Date: August 21, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. C.C.
Washburn [US]; Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford
Forrest [CS]
Forces Engaged: Troops stationed at
Memphis [US]; Forrest’s Cavalry (approx.
400) [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 94 total (US 160; CS
34)
Forrest at the Irving Block Prison in Memphis
17
General Butler’s leading elements crossed the
Appomattox River and attacked the
Petersburg defenses on June 15. The 5,400
defenders of Petersburg under command of
Gen. Beauregard were driven from their first
line of entrenchments back to Harrison
Creek. On June 16, the II Corps captured
another section of the Confederate line; on
the 17th, the IX Corps gained more ground.
Beauregard stripped the Howlett Line
(Bermuda Hundred) to defend the city, and
Lee rushed reinforcements to Petersburg
from the Army of Northern Virginia. The II,
XI, and V Corps from right to left attacked
on June 18 but was repulsed with heavy
casualties. By now the Confederate works
were heavily manned and the greatest
opportunity to capture Petersburg without a
siege was lost.
Petersburg Campaign
In the wake of his defeat at the Battle of Cold
Harbor in early June 1864, Lieutenant
General Ulysses S. Grant continued pressing
south towards the Confederate capital at
Richmond. Departing Cold Harbor on June
12, his men stole a march on General Robert
E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and
crossed the James River on a large pontoon
bridge. This maneuver led Lee to become
concerned that he might be forced into a siege
at Richmond. This was not Grant's intention,
as the Union leader sought to capture the
vital city of Petersburg. Located south of
Richmond, Petersburg was a strategic
crossroads and railroad hub which supplied
the capital and Lee's army. Its loss would
make would Richmond indefensible
The stage was set for the battles in and
around Petersburg which would become the
longest lasting campaign of the War. Besides
the attempts to take the city itself, battles and
skirmishes for control of supply lines,
railroad routes and other critical sites
continued for months. Covered in this issue
are the summer battles. They occurred on the
Jerusalem Plank Road, the Staunton River, at
a little church known as Sappony Baptist
Church, places called Ream’s Station and
Deep Bottom and near a little road house
named Globe Tavern. One of the bloodiest
engagements occurred when Union soldiers
attempted to blow up the Confederate line at
Petersburg with mines placed in a tunnel
underneath the Confederates. The explosion
killed and wounded many Rebels but then the
crater created a killing field as Federals
swarmed into it and were unable to climb out.
The Confederates were able to fire from
above and it became a death trap for the
Union soldiers. Participants from both sides
called it the most frantic and deadly battle
they ever witnessed. This battle was so
significant that it became known as the Battle
of the Crater and is treated as a separate
battle from the main Petersburg battles.
Petersburg, located in south central Virginia,
was the second-largest city in the state at the
outset of the War. Originally sharing the
conservative political stance of most businessoriented cities in the Upper South,
Petersburg's white citizens eagerly embraced
the Confederate cause after Virginia's
Convention of 1861 voted to secede in April
1861. The city hosted a variety of Confederate
installations, particularly hospitals, and
served as headquarters for a number of
Confederate military departments that bore
responsibility for southern Virginia and
eastern
North
Carolina.
Petersburg
experienced its first nearby combat in the
spring of 1864 during the Bermuda Hundred
Campaign and then became the focal point of
the Petersburg Campaign between June 1864
and April 1865. The city capitulated to Union
forces on April 3, 1865, initiating the
Appomattox Campaign and just six days
before Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army
of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court
House, ninety miles west of Petersburg
Marching from Cold Harbor, Union General
Meade’s Army of the Potomac crossed the
James River on transports and a 2,200-foot
long pontoon bridge at Windmill Point.
18
Map of Petersburg and Vicinity June 21-22, 1864
Petersburg 1861
U. S. Engineering Battalion in Petersburg
19
The Petersburg Campaign Battles
June 9-August 25, 1864
Petersburg I
Other Names: Old Men and Young Boys
Location: City of Petersburg
Date: June 9, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Quincy
Gillmore [US]; Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard
Forces Engaged: 7,000 (US 4,500; CS 2,500)
Estimated Casualties: 120 total
Description: On June 9, Maj. Gen. Benjamin
Butler dispatched about 4,500 cavalry and
infantry against the 2,500 Confederate
defenders of Petersburg. While Butler’s
infantry demonstrated against the outer line
of entrenchments east of Petersburg, Kautz’s
cavalry division attempted to enter the city
from the south via the Jerusalem Plank Road
but
was
repulsed
by
Home
Guards. Afterwards, Butler withdrew. This
was called the “battle of old men and young
boys” by local residents. On June 14-17, the
Army of the Potomac crossed the James
River and began moving towards Petersburg
to support and renew Butler’s assaults.
Result: Confederate victory
Confederate Fortifications at Gracie’s Salient
Petersburg II
Other Names: Assault on Petersburg
Location: City of Petersburg
Dates: June 15-18, 1864
Principal Commanders: Lt. Gen. Ulysses S.
Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade [US];
Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. P.G.T.
Beauregard [CS]
Forces Engaged: 104,000 total (US 62,000; CS
42,000)
Estimated Casualties: 11,386 total (US 8,150;
CS 3,236)
Description: Marching from Cold Harbor,
Meade’s Army of the Potomac crossed the
James River on transports and a 2,200-foot
long pontoon bridge at Windmill Point.
Butler’s leading elements (XVIII Corps and
Kautz’s cavalry) crossed the Appomattox
River at Broadway Landing and attacked the
Petersburg defenses on June 15. The 5,400
defenders of Petersburg under command of
Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard were driven from
their first line of entrenchments back to
Harrison Creek. After dark the XVIII Corps
was relieved by the II Corps. On June 16, the
II Corps captured another section of the
Confederate line; on the 17th, the IX Corps
gained more ground. Beauregard stripped the
Howlett Line (Bermuda Hundred) to defend
the city, and Lee rushed reinforcements to
Petersburg from the Army of Northern
Virginia.
Female Seminary in Petersburg
20
The II, XI, and V Corps from right to left
attacked on June 18 but was repulsed with
heavy casualties. By now the Confederate
works were heavily manned and the greatest
opportunity to capture Petersburg without a
siege was lost. The siege of Petersburg began.
Union Gen. James Morton, chief engineer of
the IX Corps, was killed on June 17.
Result: Confederate victory
Description: On June 22, the cavalry
divisions of Brig. Gen. James Wilson and
Brig. Gen. August Kautz were dispatched
from the Petersburg lines to disrupt
Confederate rail communications. Riding via
Dinwiddie Court House, the raiders cut the
South Side Railroad near Ford’s Station that
evening,
destroying
tracks,
railroad
buildings, and two supply trains. On June 23,
Wilson proceeded to the junction of the
Richmond & Danville Railroad at Burke
Station, where he encountered elements of
William H.F. Lee’s cavalry between Nottoway
Court House and Blacks and Whites
(modern-day Blackstone). Wilson followed
Kautz along the South Side Railroad,
destroying about thirty miles of track as he
advanced. On June 24, while Kautz remained
skirmishing around Burkeville, Wilson
crossed over to Meherrin Station on the
Richmond & Danville and began destroying
track. On June 25, Wilson and Kautz
continued tearing up track south to the
Staunton River Bridge, where they were
delayed by Home Guards, who prevented
destruction of the bridge. Lee’s cavalry
division closed on the Federals from the
northeast, forcing them to abandon their
attempts to capture and destroy the bridge.
By this time, the raiders were nearly 100
miles from Union lines.
Result: Confederate victory
Jerusalem Plank Road
Other Names: First Battle of Weldon
Railroad
Location: Dinwiddie County and Petersburg
Dates: June 21-24, 1864
Principal Commanders: Lt. Gen. Ulysses S.
Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade [US];
Gen. Robert E. Lee [CS]
Forces Engaged: Corps
Estimated Casualties: 4,000 total
Description: On June 21, the Union II Corps,
supported by the VI Corps, attempted to cut
the Weldon Railroad, one of the major supply
lines into Petersburg. The movement was
preceded by Wilson’s cavalry division which
began destroying tracks. On June 22, troops
from Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill’s corps led by Brig.
Gen. William Mahone counterattacked,
forcing the II Corps away from the railroad
to positions on the Jerusalem Plank Road.
Although the Federals were driven from their
advanced positions, they were able to extend
their siege lines farther to the west.
Result: Indecisive but Union gained ground
Staunton River Bridge
Other Names: Blacks and Whites, Old Men
and Young Boys
Location: Halifax County and Charlotte
Date: June 25, 1864
Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. James
Wilson and Brig. Gen. August Kautz [US];
Maj. Gen. William H.F. “Rooney” Lee [CS]
Forces Engaged: Divisions (4,000 total)
Estimated Casualties: 150 total
Staunton River Today
21
Forces Engaged: Divisions
Estimated Casualties: 1,817 for entire raid
Description: Maj. Gen. William H.F.
“Rooney” Lee’s cavalry division pursued
Wilson’s and Kautz’s raiders who failed to
destroy the Staunton River Bridge on June
25. Wilson and Kautz headed east and, on
June 28, crossed the Nottoway River at the
Double Bridges and headed north to Stony
Creek Depot on the Weldon Railroad. Here,
they were attacked by Maj. Gen. Wade
Hampton’s cavalry division. Later in the day,
William H.F. Lee’s Division arrived to join
forces with Hampton, and the Federals were
heavily pressured. During the night, Wilson
and Kautz disengaged and pressed north on
the Halifax Road for the supposed security of
Reams Station, abandoning many fleeing
slaves who had sought security with the
Federal raiders.
Result: Confederate victory
Staunton River Battlefield Marker
Marker Text
The Battle of Staunton River Bridge
was fought here June 25, 1864
Capt. Ben J.L. Farinholt 53rd VA Inf. with
296 men reinforced by 642 citizens
and soldiers from Halifax, Charolette
and Mecklenburg counties Virginia
Defeated
Col. R.M. West 5th Penn Cavalry
supported by the 3rd New York
Sappony Church Battlefield Marker
This monument placed by Halifax
Chapter U.D.C. and the
State of Virginia
Ream’s Station I
Sappony Church
Location: Dinwiddie County
Date: June 29, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. James
Wilson and Brig. Gen. August Kautz [US];
Maj. Gen. William Mahone and Maj. Gen.
Fitzhugh Lee [CS]
Forces Engaged: Divisions
Other Names: Stony Creek Depot
Location: Sussex County
Date: June 28, 1864
Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. James
Wilson and Brig. Gen. August Kautz [US];
Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton [CS]
22
Estimated Casualties: 600 total (1,817 for
entire raid)
Description: Early morning June 29, Brig.
Gen. August Kautz’s division reached Ream’s
Station on the Weldon Railroad, which was
thought
to
be
held
by
Union
infantry. Instead, Kautz found the road
barred by Mahone’s Confederate infantry
division. Wilson’s division, fighting against
elements of William H.F. “Rooney” Lee’s
cavalry, joined Kautz’s near Ream’s Station,
where they were virtually surrounded. About
noon, Mahone’s infantry assaulted their front
while Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry division
threatened the Union left flank. The raiders
burned their wagons and abandoned their
artillery. Separated by the Confederate
attacks, Wilson and his men cut their way
through and fled south on the Stage Road to
cross Nottoway River, while Kautz went
cross-country, reaching Federal lines at
Petersburg about dark. Wilson continued east
to the Blackwater River before turning north,
eventually reaching Union lines at Light
House Point on July 2. The Wilson-Kautz
raid tore up more than 60 miles of track,
temporarily disrupting rail traffic into
Petersburg, but at a great cost in men and
mounts.
Result: Confederate victory
Forces Engaged: Corps
Estimated Casualties: 1,000 total
Description: During the night of July 26-27,
the Union II Corps and two divisions of
Sheridan’s cavalry under command of Maj.
Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock crossed to the
north side of James River to threaten
Richmond. This demonstration diverted
Confederate forces from the impending
attack at Petersburg on July 30. Union efforts
to turn the Confederate position at New
Market Heights and Fussell’s Mill were
abandoned when the Confederates strongly
reinforced their lines and counterattacked.
During the night of July 29, the Federals recrossed the river leaving a garrison as
heretofore to hold the bridgehead at Deep
Bottom.
Result: Confederate victory
Deep bottom Battlefield
The First Battle of Deep Bottom
Other Names: Darbytown, Strawberry
Plains, New Market Road, Gravel Hill
Location: Henrico County
Dates: July 27-29, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Winfield
Scott Hancock [US]; Maj. Gen. Charles Field
[CS]
Deep Bottom Battle Scene
Published in Harper’s Weekly
23
Battle of the Crater
Other Names: The Mine
Location: Petersburg
Date: July 30, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ambrose
E. Burnside [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee [CS]
Forces Engaged: IX Corps [US]; elements of
the Army of Northern Virginia [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 5,300 total
Description: After weeks of preparation, on
July 30 the Federals exploded a mine in
Burnside’s IX Corps sector beneath Pegram’s
Salient, blowing a gap in the Confederate
defenses of Petersburg. From this propitious
beginning, everything deteriorated rapidly
for the Union attackers. Unit after unit
charged into and around the crater, where
soldiers
milled
in
confusion.
The
Confederates quickly recovered and launched
several counterattacks led by Maj. Gen.
William Mahone. The break was sealed off,
and the Federals were repulsed with severe
casualties. Ferrarro’s division of black
soldiers was badly mauled. This may have
been Grant’s best chance to end the Siege of
Petersburg. Instead, the soldiers settled in for
another eight months of trench warfare. Maj.
Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside was relieved of
command for his role in the debacle.
Result: Confederate victory
Union Sketch of the Mine
The Mine Entrance Preserved Today
The Second Battle of Deep Bottom
Other Names: New Market Road, Fussell’s
Mill, Bailey’s Creek, Charles City Road, and
White’s Tavern
Location: Henrico County
Dates: August 13-20, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Winfield
Scott Hancock [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee and
Maj. Gen. Charles Field [CS]
Forces Engaged: Corps
Estimated Casualties: 4,600 total
Description: During the night of August 1314, the Union II Corps, X Corps, and Gregg’s
cavalry division, all under command of Maj.
Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock, crossed James
River at Deep Bottom to threaten Richmond,
coordinating with a movement against the
Weldon Railroad at Petersburg.
View of the Mine preparations
Note Tarping on Trench in middle of picture
24
On August 14, the X Corps closed on New
Market Heights while the II Corps extended
the Federal line to the right along Bailey’s
Creek. During the night, the X Corps was
moved to the far right flank of the Union line
near Fussell’s Mill. On August 16, Union
assaults near Fussell’s Mill were initially
successful, but Confederate counterattacks
drove the Federals out of a line of captured
works. Heavy fighting continued throughout
the remainder of the day. Confederate
general John Chambliss was killed during
cavalry fighting on Charles City Road. After
continual skirmishing, the Federals returned
to the southside of the James on the 20th,
maintaining their bridgehead at Deep
Bottom.
Result: Confederate victory
command of Maj. Gen. G.K. Warren were
withdrawn
from
the
Petersburg
entrenchments to operate against the Weldon
Railroad. At dawn August 18, Warren
advanced, driving back Confederate pickets
until reaching the railroad at Globe Tavern.
In the afternoon, Maj. Gen. Henry Heth’s
division attacked driving Ayres’s division
back toward the tavern. Both sides
entrenched during the night. On August 19,
Maj. Gen. William Mahone, whose division
had been hastily returned from north of
James River, attacked with five infantry
brigades, rolling up the right flank of
Crawford’s division. Heavily reinforced,
Warren counterattacked and by nightfall had
retaken most of the ground lost during the
afternoon’s fighting. On the 20th, the
Federals laid out and entrenched a strong
defensive line covering the Blick House and
Globe Tavern and extending east to connect
with the main Federal lines at Jerusalem
Plank Road. On August 21, Hill probed the
new Federal line for weaknesses but could not
penetrate the Union defenses. With the
fighting at Globe Tavern, Grant succeeded in
extending his siege lines to the west and
cutting Petersburg’s primary rail connection
with Wilmington, North Carolina. The
Confederates were now forced to off-load rail
cars at Stony Creek Station for a 30-mile
wagon haul up Boydton Plank Road to reach
Petersburg. Confederate general John C.C.
Sanders was killed on August 21.
Result: Inconclusive, Union gained ground
Crossing the James River at Deep Bottom
Globe Tavern
Other Names: Second Battle of Weldon
Railroad, Yellow Tavern, Yellow House,
Blick’s Station
Location: Dinwiddie County
Dates: August 18-21, 1864
Principal Commanders:
Maj. Gen. G.K.
Warren [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee, Lt. Gen.
A.P. Hill, Maj. Gen. Henry Heth, and Maj.
Gen. William Mahone [CS]
Forces Engaged: Corps (34,300 total)
Est. Casualties: 5,879 ttl (4,279 US; 1,600 CS)
Description: While Hancock’s command
demonstrated north of the James River at
Deep Bottom, the Union V Corps and
elements of the IX and II Corps under
Globe Tavern
25
Ream’s Station II
PHOTOS OF THE WAR
Location: Dinwiddie County
Date: August 25, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Winfield
Scott Hancock [US]; Maj. Gen. Henry Heth
[CS]
Forces Engaged: Corps
Estimated Casualties: 3,492 total
Description: On August 24, Union II Corps
moved south along the Weldon Railroad,
tearing up track, preceded by Gregg’s
cavalry division. On August 25, Maj. Gen.
Henry Heth attacked and overran the faulty
Union position at Ream’s Station, capturing 9
guns, 12 colors, and many prisoners. The old
II Corps was shattered. Maj. Gen. Winfield
Scott Hancock withdrew to the main Union
line near the Jerusalem Plank Road,
bemoaning the declining combat effectiveness
of his troops.
Result: Confederate victory
A Chance to Take a Bath!
Charleston
Second Battle of Ream’s Station
This concludes the summaries of battles
which occurred in the summer of 1864.
Important
and
notable
engagements,
skirmishes and battles continued into the fall
of 1864, some of which were very critical to
the outcome of the war and these will be
summarized in the September issue.
Cold Harbor Bones
26
15. This Virginia town changed hands over
seventy times during the war.
16. According to legend what did a Rebel
soldier holler when he saw a rabbit run
across the field at Gettysburg?
MATCHING
Match the Numbers with the letters.
1. What weapon did Confederate General
John Bell Hood declare the Yankees
could use against him?
2. What did Confederate General Richard
Ewell say when he was hit in the leg?
3. How did one Confederate relate the
speed of the Army of Northern
Virginia's
advance
towards
Pennsylvania?
4. For what military contribution is Federal
General George McClellan most widely
remembered?
5. Upon meeting General Lee, after being
out of contact for days, what did
General J.E.B. Stuart announce he had
taken from the Federals?
6. The name of this Gettysburg
prominence held ironic meaning for the
Confederates who assaulted it.
7. This Gettysburg hill fell into
Confederate hands late on July 2.
8. Most soldiers at Gettysburg carried into
battle a standard issue of musket balls—
what is a standard issue?
9. The battle of Gettysburg is claimed to be
one of the loudest man-made noises
heard in the United States. What distant
city is reported to have heard the
thunder of the cannon on July 3?
10. The fighting was so severe at
Gettysburg that many soldiers suffered
what hazard of rifles fired too rapidly?
11. Not all Virginians served in Lee's
army; name the unit which supported
the Lincoln government.
12. What name did Stonewall Jackson's
men give themselves after marching
four hundred miles and fighting in five
different battles?
13. What illness affected nearly two
thousand Confederate troops just before
First Manassas?
14. Early in the fight at Gettysburg,
Confederates quickly realized they were
facing regular Federal troops and not
militia because of what uniform
feature?
A. 125 wagons and their teams
B. The McClellan cavalry saddle
C. The Loudoun Rangers of the
Piedmont region
D. “Run, rabbit, run, if I was an ole’
rabbit I’d run too!”
E. Sixty rounds per man
F. The Black Hats of the Iron Brigade
G. The barrels became too hot to
hold
and
the
powder
spontaneously ignited.
H. Cemetery Ridge
I. “Breakfast in Virginia, whiskey in
Maryland,
and
supper
in
Pennsylvania”
J They could “roll rocks down on you!”
K. Winchester, Virginia
L. Pittsburgh, some hundred-fifty miles
to the west
M. “It does not hurt a bit to be shot in
a wooden leg.”
N. “Old Jack’s foot-cavalry
O. Devil’s Den, named either for a
large snake which inhabited the
rocks, or the grotesquely shaped
rocks themselves
P. Measles
ANSWERS
1.J 5.A 9.L 13.P
2.M 6.H 10.G 14.F
3.I 7.O 11.C 15.K
4.B 8.E 12.N 16.D
27
Colonel Robert F. Webb
The Last Colonel of the Bloody Sixth North
Carolina
Buffalo in Ft. Bend County and the
Runaway Scrape
1836
Robert F. Webb was a 38 year-old farmer
who enlisted 5-20-61 as a Captain in Co. B.,
NC 6th Infantry and rose to full Colonel. He
was wounded at Sharpsburg, taken prisoner
at Rappahannock station and confined at
Johnson’s Island for a year and a half,
released on Oath of Allegiance 6-25-65. This
is his personal account of his capture.
“Many of my men escaped by swimming
the river; others dispersed through the
country and got off. Some of my officers
escaped, but how, I was never able to
ascertain. I cannot describe to you the
terrible anguish I endured at the thought of
being captured, as gradually that host of
armed men surrounded me.”
“I knew that my escape was impossible. I
have faced death often, but never have I
endured such fearful hours of horror as I
did that night. I thought of loved ones -wife, children, and home. Tears ran down
my cheeks, the first I had shed during the
war. I was aroused from my reverie by a
stout arm grasping me by the shoulder. Do
you surrender? No was my quick response,
not to a private. Are you an officer? I am, I
replied. A colonel rode up to me. It was the
Fifth Maine. Do you surrender, Sir? says
he. I presume that I do, I replied as I have
no discretion in the matter, being already
your prisoner.”
When Col. Webb was captured, he held his
sword in his one good hand. His other hand
was in a sling from his terrible wound at
Sharpsburg.
Beginning immediately after his capture at
Rappahannock Bridge, Webb writes, “I
was moved that night about two miles to the
rear in company with my brother officers,
and I must do the enemy the justice to say
that they treated me kindly. They gave me
some whiskey, of which I stood much in
need!”
Right after the Alamo fell to Santa Anna and
his Mexican Army, Santa Anna headed east
to find and defeat the rest of the Texas Army
led by General Sam Houston.
When Santa Anna’s action became apparent,
the landowners and settlers east of San
Antonio started traveling toward the safety of
the Louisiana border because the Mexicans
were ransacking and burning everything in
sight. This in history is called the “Runaway
Scrape.” The people that were living on the
west side of the Brazos River were ready to go
but couldn’t leave at their chosen time
because of a large herd of buffalo blocking
their way. They had to wait for the herd to
pass before leaving.
Apparently this large herd of between 3000
and 4000 buffalo came down from the north
through the Brenham area and continued
moving south between the San Bernard River
and the Brazos River.
The herd crossed to the east side of the
Brazos somewhere south of where Highway
59 now crosses the River, near the town of
Richmond (old Fort Bend).
The herd
continued on into Brazoria County to some
place south of the present day town of
Pearland.
After the herd passed, the settlers were able
to cross the river and then traveled to
Harrisburg and continued east to the
Lynchburg Ferry located near the present
day San Jacinto Monument. Upon arriving
at the ferry they found themselves with about
5000 other people waiting to cross the San
Jacinto River. This crossing took them three
days.
Their route took them north of
Galveston Bay as they headed toward the
Sabine River. It is assumed there was also a
ferry across the Trinity River, probably at
present day Liberty, Texas.
It is also
assumed that old Highway 90 was the original
route to Louisiana.
28
A large part of the Mexican Army stayed in
the Ft. Bend area while General Santa Anna
went to engage General Sam Houston and the
Texas Army. The two Generals eventually
found each other at San Jacinto and… it was
the worst eighteen minutes of General
Antonio López de Santa Anna’s life.
A Poetic Tribute
In 1907 Julia Ward Howe who wrote the
Battle Hymn of the Republic penned these
words on the anniversary of Gen. Lee's
birth:
Thanks to Compatriot David G. Whitaker for
this bit of Texas History.
A gallant foeman in the fight,
A brother when the fight was o’er,
The hand that led the host with might
The blessed torch of learning bore.
Source: Texas Tears and Texas Sunshine by
Jo Ella Powell Exley. Texas A&M Press, 1985.
No shriek of shells or roll of drums,
No challenge fierce, resound far
When reconciling Wisdom comes
To heal the cruel wounds of war.
Thought may the minds of men divide,
Love makes the heart of nations one,
And so, thy soldier grave beside,
We honor thee, Virginia's son.
TRIVIA
A. Although General Rosecrans reported a
Union victory at Stones River TN, how
did his casualties compare with those of
the Confederates?
B. In what state did the engagement of
Coffeeville take place?
C. When Indian fighter John R. Baylor
recruited 1,000 fellow Texans in spring
1861, actually to secure the New Mexico
Territory for the Confederacy, what did
he say his mission was?
D. What
Confederate
cavalryman
sometimes demanded surrender as
“Brigadier
General
of
Cavalry,
C.S.A.”?
E. After Pea Ridge AR, who succeeded
Lew Wallace as the youngest Union
General?
JEFFERSON QUOTES
"To compel a man to subsidize with his
taxes the propagation of ideas which he
disbelieves and abhors is sinful and
tyrannical."
"I believe that banking institutions are
more dangerous to our liberties than
standing armies. If the American people
ever allow private banks to control the
issue of their currency, first by inflation,
then by deflation, the banks will deprive
the people of all property - until their
children wake-up homeless on the
continent their fathers conquered."
Trivia Answers on page 35
29
The Coleman Scouts
The tactics and strategy of warfare depend on
information as well as on soldiers and guns.
Spies and scouts are sent into enemy territory
to gather news concerning movements of
troops, to secure newspapers, and to obtain
any vital information about enemy resources.
Both the Northern and Southern armies
during the War Between the States availed
themselves of this medium of securing
information.
A Scout Reports to a Band of Guerillas
Sam Davis
In 1862 following the general practice of
organizing scouting operations to keep the
commanders informed of enemy operations, a
group of young men under Captain Henry B.
Shaw was brought together. These scouts,
known interchangeably as Shaw's Scouts or
Coleman's Scouts, were to play an important
part in the operation of Bragg's Army.
Early in 1863, a young man named Sam
Davis became a member of "Coleman's
Scouts." The Yankees were constantly on the
lookout for these spies, whom they called
Coleman's Scouts after the pseudonym, E.C.
Coleman, that Shaw used. On November 20,
1863, they caught a 21 year old man in
Confederate uniform with information about
federal troop positions and a pass signed by
"E. Coleman." Among the papers found
concealed on Sam was information that could
have only come from the desk of Union
General Grenville Dodge. Convinced that one
of his own officers was supplying information
to the Confederates, Dodge decided to put
pressure on Sam to identify the source of the
documents.
The federal soldiers especially wanted to
know where "E. Coleman" was, but Davis
would say nothing, even when General
Grenville M. Dodge interrogated him and
offered not to hang him as a spy if he would
turn over the information. Davis refused and
insisted that he was not a spy but simply a
courier. He was quickly and illegally tried,
convicted, and hanged. Throughout the
ordeal he composed himself bravely. He
stoically refused to betray "Coleman,"
causing Dodge to exclaim as he saw the body
dangle from the gallows:
"He
was
too
brave
to
die."
Captain Shaw (Coleman) and the Remaining Men of
the Coleman Scouts in a Secret Reunion in 1866
Shaw, the Captain of the group, assumed the
name of Coleman to hide his real identity. He
operated within the enemy lines under the
guise of an itinerant herb doctor. Information
secured by Shaw was passed from him to the
scouts and then relayed to Confederate
headquarters.
30
The Yankees did not know it, but they had
"Coleman" in the same jail cell as Davis.
Shaw, described by his captors as "an old,
seedy, awkward-looking man in citizen's
clothes," was known to the Yankees only by
his real name and had been arrested
separately from Davis. Shaw had once been
Davis's teacher and they were friends, though
they were careful to make sure their captors
did not know. Davis's execution was clearly
visible to his friend in the jail cell.
Davis's patriotism and willingness to die for
his country was praised in print and stone
throughout the South and caused him to be
known as a Confederate Nathan Hale."
Sam’s
last
words
still
resonate:
“If I had a thousand lives to live, I would give
them all, rather than betray a friend or my
country.”
Less glamorous is the story of another
Coleman Scout, Dewitt Smith Jobe and his
two cousins, Dee Smith and Thomas Benton
Smith. These cousins were natives of the
Mechanicsville community. Dewitt Jobe’s
father, Elihu C. Jobe, was a cabinetmaker
and farmer in Mechanicsville. He was also
known for his coffins. Dee Smith was with the
45th Tennessee. Thomas Benton Smith was a
“boy” general with the 20th Tennessee.
Each met a tragic – horrible – end at the
hands of Federal troops.
Brig. General Thomas Benton Smith
Gen. Thomas Benton Smith
In 1862 Thomas Benton Smith fought in the
Battle of Stone's River, where he suffered a
serious wound that put him out of action for
much of 1863. After his recuperation, Smith
resumed field duties, but was again wounded
at the Battle of Chickamauga in September.
After another lengthy recovery period, he
returned to action during the 1864 Atlanta
Campaign. He was promoted to brigadier
general on July 29, 1864. His First action as a
General officer was on the extreme left of the
Confederate flank at the Battle of Utoy Creek
where he personally led his Brigade in a
charge against attacking Union soldiers
capturing some 30 Union Soldiers and the 2
Colors of the 8th Tennessee Infantry, USV
and 112th Illinois Infantry, USV of Riley's
Brigade, Cox Division of the US XXIII Army
Corps.
Sam Davis
Sam Davis Monument
Nashville Tennessee
31
His military career ended at the Battle of
Nashville
on
December
16.
Smith
surrendered during the battle. After Smith
had surrendered and been disarmed, Union
Colonel William L. McMillen, whose brigade
had suffered heavily in an engagement with
Smith's Brigade, reportedly berated and then
attacked the Confederate general, now a
disarmed prisoner, with Smith's own sword
(one source says "wantonly and repeatedly”).
Smith's resultant brain injuries were so
severe that for a time it was feared he would
not live. Held at Johnson's Island in Ohio and
later at Fort Warren in Massachusetts, Smith
was not released until July 24, 1865.
Seeing that he was about to be caught, Jobe
tore up the note and began to chew and
swallow it. Angered by the near miss, the
Union patrol first threatened Jobe and then
began to torture him in an effort to get the
scout to divulge the content of the dispatch.
The Ohio troops first hanged Jobe from a
bridle rein and then pistol-whipped him,
knocking
out
some
of
his
teeth.
Bound and disarmed, helpless and bleeding,
Jobe revealed nothing. The torture went on.
The Yanks were whooping now, yelling so
loudly that they could be heard at a distant
farmhouse. They put out Jobe's eyes. Perhaps
then it was that Jobe heaped epithets upon
them. In retaliation they cut out Jobe's
tongue.
The Union patrol finished off Jobe by
dragging him to death behind his own
galloping horse. The event is not mentioned in
Official Records of the Union and
Confederate Armies, but was preserved in
Jobe family oral history and letters and books
like Bromfield Ridley’s “Battles and Sketches
of
the
Army
of
Tennessee.”
A Tennessee Historical Marker between
Nolensville and Triune commemorates Jobe’s
death:
Dewitt Jobe
DeWitt Smith Jobe enlisted in 1861 and
became part of Company B of the 20th
Tennessee Regiment commanded by Col. Joel
Battle and his cousin Thomas B. Smith.
He was wounded and captured at the Battle
of Fishing Creek and fought at Stones River.
Jobe was hand-picked as a scout about the
time Maj. Gen. Braxton Bragg began his
retreat out of Middle Tennessee and into
Georgia.
As a scout, Jobe did escape the doldrums of
routine military life, but his new role with the
Army of Tennessee was far more dangerous.
Many of the members of Coleman’s Scouts
were
shot,
killed
or
imprisoned.
And each of the Scouts knew about Sam
Davis’ end on the Union gallows.
“DeWitt Smith Jobe, a member of Coleman's
Scouts, CSA, was captured in a cornfield about
1 1/2 miles west, Aug. 29, 1864, by a patrol
from the 115th Ohio Cavalry. Swallowing his
dispatches, he was mutilated and tortured to
make him reveal the contents. Refusing, he was
dragged to death behind a galloping horse. He
is buried in the family cemetery six miles
northeast."
In August 1864, Jobe and fellow scout Tom
Joplin were far behind Union lines and
reconnoitering near the towns of College
Grove,
Triune
and
Nolensville.
On Monday, Aug. 29, Jobe was hiding in a
cornfield after eating breakfast at the home of
a family between Triune and Nolensville. He
had an important message hidden on his
person.
With Yankee patrols in the area, the
Confederate scout/spy was hiding during the
day and traveling at night. Unfortunately, he
was spotted by a patrol of 15 men from the
115th Ohio Regiment of the Union Army of
the Cumberland.
Dewitt Smith Jobe
32
Carmack’s Pledge to the South
At the time, news of his torture spread
quickly. It pushed his cousin, Dee Smith, to
exact
his
own
bloody
revenge.
Smith was with the 45th Tennessee,
commanded by Col. Anderson Searcy of
Murfreesboro, when he heard of his cousin’s
murder.
Smith left his regiment near Chattanooga and
rode back to Middle Tennessee and raised the
“black flag.” He would give no quarter and
swore to kill any Yankee who crossed his
path. Smith was a quiet killer who did his
work with a butcher knife. It was said he used
that knife to slit the throats of 14 Union
soldiers while they slept in their tents near
Tullahoma.
These words, written by Edward Ward
Carmack
of
Sumner
County,
Tennessee,
were
read
into
the
Congressional Record when he served
in the U.S. House of Representatives.
They are also inscribed on a bronze
plaque at the base of his statue on the
Capitol
grounds
in
Nashville,
Tennessee.
TEXT
The South is a land that has known
sorrows; it is a l and t hat has broken
t he ashen crust and m o i s t e n e d i t w i t h
tears; a land scarred and riven by
the plowshare of war and billowed
with the graves of her dead; but a
l a n d o f legend, a land of song, a land
of hallowed and heroic memories.
Dee Smith’s personal war continued for
nearly two months during which he killed as
many as 50 Yankees before he was captured.
At last they surrounded him near Nolensville,
Tennessee, and shot him. Afterwards they
brought him twenty miles from Nolensville to
Murfreesboro. Although in excruciating pain
when the doctors probed his wounds, he said
that he would die before his enemies should
see him flinch. Fortunately, he died before
noon of the next day, at which time he was to
be hanged.
To that land every drop of my blood,
every fiber o f m y b e i n g , e v e r y
p u l s a t i o n o f m y h e a r t , i s consecrated
forever. I was born of her womb; I was
nurtured at her breast; and when my
last h o u r s h a l l c o m e , I p r a y G o d
t h a t I m a y b e pillowed upon her
bosom and rocked to sleep within her
tender and encircling arms.
There’s no indication that the soldiers from
the 115th Ohio were punished for the
atrocity. Legend says the sergeant in charge
of the Union patrol “became a raving
maniac.”
And for those who believe in such things,
there was a bit of karmic justice meted out to
the soldiers of the 115th Ohio. A number of
them were captured and sent to the horrific
Rebel prison at Andersonville, Ga.
Other soldiers from the unit died in the
Sultana Disaster on April 27, 1865. The
Sultana, a side-wheeler, steam river boat, was
loaded with Union soldiers headed from
Memphis to Cairo, Ill. Just north of
Memphis, the river boat exploded in the
worst maritime tragedy in U.S. history. An
estimated 1,700 died, including a number of
soldiers from the 115th Ohio.
THIS TABLET PLACED HERE BY THE
W.C.T.U.
Plaque at base of Statue
33
Edward Ward Carmack served in the U. S.
House from 1897 to 1901 and as a U. S.
Senator from 1901 to 1907.
If you are interested in buying books in bulk
or contributing to the movie project you may
e-mail Cassidy Ravensdale, Company
President, at searavenpress@gmail.com.
About the Company:
Sea Raven Press is an independent academic
book publishing company located in
Nashville,
Tennessee, specializing
in
nonfiction family-friendly books for all ages
on the American Civil War (from the South's
perspective), Jesus, the Bible, spirituality, the
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the paranormal (ghost stories, UFOs),
history, biography, social issues, mythology,
etymology, family history, and genealogy. The
Company takes great pride in producing well
researched, historically accurate, provocative
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Carmack
About the Author:
Author Lochlainn Seabrook is the recipient of
the prestigious Jefferson Davis Historical
Gold Medal. His adult, teen, and children’s
books have sold thousands of copies
throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Russia,
Australia,
and
Central
and
South
America. Known as the "new Shelby
Foote," Lochlainn is a recognized historian,
Bible scholar, and popular Civil War scholar
who has penned over two dozen Southoriented books on the War for Southern
Independence.
Lochlainn, also an acclaimed screenwriter,
has just signed on with renowned filmmaker
Christopher Forbes, to bring Lochlainn's
screenplay (based on his award-winning
book, "A Rebel Born: A Defense of Nathan
Bedford Forrest") to the big screen.
Nashville Statue of Carmack
Sea Raven Press
Offers Discount to MOS&B Members
Sea Raven Press publishes popular pro-South
books by award-winning historian Lochlainn
Seabrook. They are offering discounts to
everyone associated with the Military Order
of The Stars and Bars for bulk orders of their
books. They have an extensive on-line
bookstore and a list of available books may be
found at: www.SeaRavenPress.com.
They are also preparing to turn Mr.
Seabrook's screenplay about Nathan Bedford
Forrest into a full-length motion picture film
and
seeking
financial
support
i.e.
contributions and investments to launch the
project.
34
The Last Naval Engagement
Thus ended the last battle of the War
Between the States.
When and where did the last battle of the
War Between the States take place? Well,
probably not when and where you think!
In 1905, two courtly and erudite old gentlemen
were rowing to their residence on an island off
the mouth of Mobile Bay. During a visit to
the mainland to pick up a load of supplies,
they had picked up quite a load of another
type at a local saloon. They alternately
rowed and sampled a jug, all the while
bemoaning the intolerable end of the War
Between the States. When a US battleship
entering the bay came abreast of them, they
became enraged at the sight of the "hated”
US flag.
Reprinted with Permission from:
THE REBEL YELL
“The Oldest Newsletter in the Confederation”
The Rebel Yell is the official newsletter
of the Brig. Gen. Stand Watie Society
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Editor Charles H. Smith, DCS
TRIVIA ANSWERS
A. Union: 13,200; Confederate: 10,266
B. Mississippi, April 4, 1862
C. A buffalo hunt
D. Nathan Bedford Forrest
E. Francis J. Herron
Grabbing a fowling piece, first one old
gentleman and then the other fired a shot
"across the bow" of the ship. One load of shot
hit the bridge, resulting in a gig being lowered
and the two old men being taken on board the
ship. There they demanded to see the captain.
Brought to his cabin, they demanded the
surrender of the ship. The captain not only
possessed rich manners and a quick
understanding, but also a sense of humor.
CHAPTER COMMANDER’S REPORT
Gentlemen,
There has been some email discussion about
a possible project for our Chapter. We are
thinking of doing a little advertising in hopes
of gaining some recruits. We have already
looked into some of the costs involved, both
print and radio. I would like everyone’s
input. We need to decide if it is an idea worth
pursuing, if we have the financial support
needed and what the content of the
advertising should be. Please provide your
feedback to me at mosb264@valornet.com.
Inviting the men to be seated, he offered
them cigars and politely and gravely begged
for a discussion of terms. These were presented during a conversation over several
bottles of champagne. Finally, a formal truce
was drawn. This peace treaty between the
U.S. and the Confederacy was signed and
sealed in duplicate. Under the terms, the ship
was allowed to proceed, but not to sail near
the men's island, and the captain was allowed
to keep his sword.
I will follow-up with an email to everyone
based on what input I receive. I think this is
the type project we can get behind. It doesn’t
require any travel and therefore fits with our
being scattered across the state.
Afterward the captain escorted the
Confederates on deck where they were piped
over the side with full naval formality. A
launch waited there to tow them to their
island. As the dory was towed away, one of
the old men rose in the boat, raised the
returned fowling piece, and fired a salute.
My wife and I recently attended the Texas
Society Convention. It was well attended for a
non-election year. No important changes to
report.
35
Military Order of the Stars
and Bars Benediction
The Society is showing a good savings by
having most members receive the Clarion
Call electronically. This savings is being used
to establish our Texas scholarship program.
There was a good sharing of Chapter projects
and activities. Emphasis was, as always, on
recruitment. Our membership’s average age
keeps climbing. This focus on membership,
especial the younger demographic, is part of
what
prompted
our
looking
into
advertisement. There are no other Chapters
in Texas pursuing this and it could really help
the Order. I spoke with Texas Society
Commander, Larry Wilhoite, and he feels the
Society could help us with funding, when we
get a plan in place.
Leader: I asked God for strength, that I might
achieve,
Members: I was made weak, that I might learn
humbly to obey.
Leader: I asked for health, that I might do
greater things,
Members: I was given infirmity that I might do
better things.
Leader: I asked for riches, that I might be
happy,
Members: I was given poverty, that I might be
wise.
Leader: I asked for power, that I might have
the praise of men,
Members: I was given weakness, that I might
feel the need of God.
Leader: I asked for all things, that I might enjoy
life,
Members: I was given life, that I might enjoy
all things.
Leader: I got nothing that I asked for – but
everything I had hoped for.
Members: Almost despite myself my unspoken
prayers were answered.
ALL: I am, among all men, most richly blessed.
I hope you are all receiving some of this
needed rain, minus the storms.
God Bless,
Gary L. “Nux” Loudermilk
Commander
Major John Loudermilk
Chapter 264
BANNAL AB BRAITHREAN
Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier
Found on his body in the “Devil’s Den” at
Gettysburg
(Band of Brothers)
Is a newsletter published of
and for the
Major John Loudermilk Chapter
#264 of the Military Order of the
Stars and Bars
It is published electronically
and issued seasonally.
Comments, suggestions or questions
may be sent to the Editor, Gary M.
Loudermilk at gmldhl@harrisbb.com
Two Time Winner of the Captain
John Morton Award for Best
Chapter Newsletter
36