Otto C. Hager-- Part 3

Captain Hager returned to Galena, Illinois, but "itched" to fight and re-enlisted and marched with Sherman to the sea  His company was at Raleigh when Lincoln was assassinated  He was dipping water from a creek when he looked up and saw the camp's flag at half mast.  he knew at once what had happened

The war was over, but Sherman's Army had not been mustered out.  After taking part in Sherman's Grand Review at Washington, Hager and his company were mustered out in Chicago.

In 1866, he went to St. Joe and here hired out to a freighter  named Galbraith, an Atchison man.  He went with Galbraith's caravan of prairie schooners as far as Cottonwood Falls, where he quit his job and began splitting rails for the Union Pacific.

In 1867, he came to Atchison, Kansas.  At that time there was one brick building there, the rest of the city being made up mostly of frame shanties between Fourth and Fifth Street on Commercial Street.

--Old Secesh

Preservation at North Carolina's Bentonville Battlefield

From the American Battlefield Trust 2023 March calendar.

BENTONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

The March 1865 Battle of Bentonville, the largest battle ever fought in the Tarheel State, was the catalyst for the last series of standoffs between Union General William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, as Federal forces closed in around the Confederate army.

The Trust has saved more acreage at Bentonville -- nearly 2,000 acres -- than at any other battlefield outside of Virginia.

I was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, which was a major goal for Sherman's army.  The city is close to the battlefield, so appreciate the Trust's efforts.

--Old Secesh

Camp Nelson National Monument-- Part 2: A Huge Camp and USCT Training Facility

At the heighth of its use in 1865, Camp Nelson encompassed roughly 4,000 acres, organized around an 800 acre core, including  more than 300 outlying buildings and tents that housed a quartermaster commissary depot, ordnance depot, recruitment center, prison and hospital.

In addition, eighteen earthen forts or batteries, primarily built by Blacks ringed the camp for protection.  The camp was also home to stables and corrals, a bakery and a steam-driven waterworks that could pump water up 470 feet from the Kentucky River tp a 500,000 gallon reservoir.

However, its location proved to be poor as a supply depot because of lack of transportstion, so Gen. William T. Sherman decided to also turn it into a training camp for incoming black soldiers of the United States Colored Troops (USCT).

Because of the supplies, it was also a possible target of Nathan Bedford Forrest.  

Some 3,000 impressed black workers were stationed at Camp Nelson by 1863, performing critical supply jobs as well as fortifying the camp and construction of railroads and the 300 buildings of the post.

And, then the USCT training camp was set up, and eventually some 23,000 black soldiers trained there, making it the second largest training center for them.

--Old Secesh

Surgeon Edward Kittoe-- Part 5: On Grant's Personal Staff

**  Promoted to Surgeon U.S. Volunteers, December 1862.

**  Promoted to successive ranks of Major and Lieutenant Colonel.

**  Placed on the personal staff of U.S. Grant, October 1863.

**  Appointed Medical Inspector for the Department of the Cumberland, February 1864, and Medical Inspector U.S. Army, April 1864.

**  Medical Director Army of  the Tennessee during Sherman's Georgia Campaign.

**  Brevetted Colonel for "faithful and meritorious" services, June 1867.

**  Died in Galena, September 29, 1887; buried in Galena.

--Old Secesh

Surgeon Edward D. Kittoe-- Part 3

From Galena and US Grant Museum.

Dr. Edward Kittoe is not one of Galena's nine generals but his importance to the overall Union war effort was far greater than some of those nine generals.

He served on U.S. Grant's personal staff and later in Sherman's  Georgia campaign.  It was Kittoe who worked to institute more sanitary conditions and better medical procedures during the war.  His efforts probably saved  thousands of lives.

Dr. Kittoe quietly returned to Galena, Illinois, after the war, continuing to serve his town as a beloved family physician until his death in 1887.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War: Abraham Lincoln Elected and Reelected, Battles of Port Royal, Sherman Burns Atlanta and Departs on March to the Sea

From the November 2022 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

NOVEMBER 6, 1860

**  Abraham Lincoln elected 16th President of the United States.

NOVEMBER 7, 1861

**  The Battle of Port Royal Sound, Soutn Carolina.

NOVMBER 8, 1864

**  President Lincoln reelected.

NOVEMBER 12, 1864

**  USA General William T. Sherman's federal troops burn the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

NOVEMBER 15, 1864

**  USA General William T. Sherman departs Atlanta to begin March to the Sea.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meets Saturday: Topic 'Sherman in Georgia-- Part 2, the March to the Sea'

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table will meet this Saturday via Zoom and in person at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois  (US Highway 14, Northwest Highway and Main Street).

Time from 10 am CDST and 11:30.

The topic will be a follow up to last month's Atlanta Campaign, "General Sherman in Georgia, the March to the Sea."

Plenty of Room and Everyone is Welcome (members and non-members).  Where there is always good discussion and conversation and we've even been known to stay on topic on occasion.

Come On Down!!  --Old SeceshMouth

Forrest's '64 Railroad Raid-- Part 4: Sherman, Forrest, Hood and the SS Sultana

Atlanta had fallen on September 2, and Forrest was hoping to draw Sherman away from that city to go after him.  It didn't work.  Sherman was getting ready for his March to the Sea and Savannah.

Forrest hated Sherman and Sherman hated him.  

The Confederate general in charge of the Army of Tennessee, John Bell Hood, and Forrest did not get along at all.  At one time Forrest supposedly threatened Hood, saying that if he were any more of a man, he'd take him.  That was referring to Hood's loss of the use of one hand and loss of a leg in battle.  

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The Blacks captured at the Battle of Athens were made up mostly of ex-slaves from around that town.

Forrest burned the Freedman's Camp at the John Brown plantation.  John Brown, not the abolitionist at Harper's Ferry was a general in the Confederate Army and later Tennessee governor.

Blockhouses were made of wood.

Gene Salecker got interested in Forrest's1864 raid because many of the captured Union soldiers were aboard the ill-fated SS Sultana when it blew up and sank.  He has written a book about the Sultana titled "Destruction of the Sultana:  The Worst Maritime Disaster in American History."

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT March Meeting: Nathan Bedford Forrest's Sept. 1864 Railroad Raid-- Part 1

March 8, 2022 meeting of the McHenry County Civil War Round Table.

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This was both an in person and a Zoom meeting with presentation given by Gene Salecker.

After Sherman captured Atlanta he had long supply lines back to Nashville, Tennessee.

September 24, 1864, Nathan Forrest had 3,600 cavalry troops at Cherokee Station.  He was hoping to break the railroad link and draw Sherman's army after him.

Fort Henderson was at Athens, Alabama, and Forrest and 4,000 of his men surrounded it and made the fort's commander, Colonel Campbell believe he had 13,000 to 15,000 men and scared Campbell into surrendering the 900 men under his command.  Most of the Union troops surrendered were of the 110th USCT.  (Black soldiers surrendering to Confederates, never a good thing.)

There were 13,000 Union troops at Decatur, Alabama, and they sent a force of 378 to Fort Henderson's relief.  They were from the 102nd Ohio and under the command of Lt. Col. Elliott.  Forrest attacked them and after hard fighting, forced them to surrender as well.  Elliott was mortally wounded.  These men were sent to Cahaba Prison.

The Blacks captured at Fort Henderson were sent to Mobile, Alabama, to work on the fortifications there.  While doing this, they came under fire of Union ships.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT: Sherman's March-- Part 2: Joseph Wheeler's Cavalry and the Howell Cobb Plantation

**  Macon, Georgia, was a major manufacturing center for the Confederacy.

**  Sherman did not burn Savannah.  He got cotton as tribute.

**  The cavalry of Joseph Wheeler were the only real resistance Sherman faced on his way to Savannah.

**  Confederates had placed torpedoes (artillery shells) on the roads into Savannah rigged to blow up is stepped upon.  Confederate prisoners were sent ahead of Union troops to explode them one way or another.

**  Sherman burned the Howell Cobb plantation near Milledgeville, Georgia.  On the night of November 22, 1864,  on his March to the Sea, Gen. Sherman camped there.  Upon learning it was owned by Howell Cobb, former U.S. cabinet member, Congressman and now an important man in the Confederacy, he ordered its total destruction except for the slave quarters.

**  Runaway slaves following Sherman's army were often used as pioneers in road construction.

**  There is a double-barreled cannon in Athens, Georgia.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group: Sherman's March to the Sea and Through the Carolinas-- Part 1

In February 2, the discussion group met at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois and discussed the above topic.

Of course, as always, there were a fair number of off-topic discussions that took place.  But. what would a discussion be without off-topic.

Some of the things said:

**  The two Army Corps that were with Sherman with the most Eastern Regiments were the X and the XX Corps.

**  Sherman did not follow Hood on his westward move from Atlanta and instead marched through Georgia  where he was able to subsist his army despite the "Starving Confederacy".  This was in large par because of the degree of procuring that his foragers "bummers" were able to achieve.

**  The only major resistance to his March to the Sea took place at the Battle of Griswoldville.  This was a battle where a lot of the Confederates were militia.

**  Sherman's March to the Sea was easier than the March Through the Carolinas because in Georgia, the Union forces were able to follow rivers and in the Carolina's they had to cross them.

--Old Secesh

So, Should Sherman's Army Have Been Called the Army of the Illinois?

From the McHenry County Civil War Round Table (Illinois) discussion group for February 26, 2022.

I went through Sherman's Union Order of Battle for his march through the Carolinas and counted the number of Illinois units.  I came up with 41.  That is a huge number of regiments and one battalion.  Now, granted, that late in the war, none or very few of these had the predetermined 1,000 soldiers considered a regiment at full strength.  But, even so, that was a lot of troops.

Here are the Illinois regiments:

7, 10, 12, 16, 20, 26, 30, 31, 32, 34, 40, 45, 48, 50, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 60, 63, 64, 65, 78, 82, 85, 86, 90, 93, 101, 102, 104,  105, 111, 112, 116, 125, 127, 129

Also, there was a 14/15 Battalion.

That's sure a lot of Illinois boys.

Army of the Illinois since Union Armies named after rivers.

--Old Secesh

McHenry County Civil War Round Table Answers

These are the answers to yesterday's quiz regarding the MCCWRT's discussion group's questions:

1.  Capital of Georgia was Milledgeville

2.  Last major battle in Carolinas was the Battle of Bentonville.

3.  Sherman's first objective in N.C. was Fayetteville (and especially its arsenal).

4.  Sherman enabled Johnston to attack him at Bentonville because he had divided his army into two columns.

5.  After Savannah was captured Grant wanted Sherman to come directly to Virginia to crush Lee.

6.  How many Illinois regiments were with Sherman in the Carolinas?  41

--Old Secsh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meeting, 2/26/22: Sherman's March to the Sea and the Carolinas

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table )MCCWRT) discussion group met at the Crystal Lake, Illinois, Panera Bread on US-14 (Northwest Highway) from 10 a.m. to 11:30 on Saturday, Feb. 25, and was both in person and via Zoom.  One of the folks was watching and talking from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Yer Quiz:

1.  What was the capital of Georgia during the march?

2.  What was the last major battle fought in North Carolina?

3.  What was Sherman's first objective in North Carolina?

4.  What move did Sherman make that enabled Johnston to attack him at that last major battle in North Carolina?

5.  After Sherman reached Savannah, what did Grant want Sherman to do?

6.  Frank Question:  How many Illinois regiments were with Sherman in his March Through the Carolinas?

Answers in the next post.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Events in November: Lincoln's Elections, Port Royal Sound, Burning Atlanta, March to the Sea Begins

1860

NOVEMBER 6

Abraham Lincoln elected 16th President of the United States.

1861

NOVEMBER 7

Battle of Port Royal Sound, South Carolina.

1864

NOVEMBER 8

President Lincoln reelected

1864

NOVEMBER 12

U.S. General William T. Sherman's Federal troops burn the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

1864

NOVEMBER 16

Gen. William T. Sherman's army departs Atlanta to begin March to the Sea.

--Old Secesh

The 15th Illinois at the Battle of Shiloh

From the June 29, 2015, Iron Brigader by Mark.

The Battle of Shiloh , named after a small church called  Shiloh Church, (also referred to as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was the costliest battle in American history up until that point.

Union casualties  were 1754 killed, 8408 wounded, and 2885 missing or captured.

Confederate losses were 1728 killed, 8,012 wounded and 959 missing or captured.

The 15th Illinois was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Edward F.W. Ellis.  Their brigade, under command of James C. Veatch, was on the Union right and ordered to position itself to aid Brigadier General William T. Sherman's division.

The 15th battled an attack by Brigadier General  Sterling A.M.  Wood's brigade of Major General  William J. Hardee's corps, before falling back to a defensive line at the Landing.

Both Lt. Col. Ellis and Major William Goddard, second in command of the regiment, were killed in the fighting.

Captain Louis Kelly, in temporary command of the regiment filed a report of it's actions at the battle.

--Old Secesh

15th Illinois Infantry Regiment at Shiloh

From Wikipedia.

The 15th Illinois and 14th Illinois participated together in movements around  Rolla, Missouri, ahead of the Fort Donelson  Campaign, with Gen. U.S. Grant in command.  Both regiments were part of Gen.  Steven A. Hulbert's 4th Division, called "The Fighting Fourth" and assigned to a camp near the Union left wing at Pittsburg Landing on April 6, 1862.

They were brigaded under the command of Colonel James C. Veatch.  When the attack came, they were ordered forward  to support General Sherman who was heavily pressed on the right wing.

An anecdotal memoir by Sergeant  Moses Gleason Montgomery described heavy fighting at what became known as the Hornet's Nest before they proceeded to a defensive position to support the retreat of the Union Army's right wing.

Sgt. Montgomery was shot in the chest during this engagement, and describes his  survival that night by a "Blessed Rain."

On the second day of the battle,  General Grant took direct command of the 14th and 15th in the counter attack against Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard.

Captain Harley Wayne was killed at this battle.

During the course of the war, the 15th Illinois lost 6 officers and 81 enlisted killed in action or died of wounds.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Generals-- Part 6: How They Stood

IRVIN McDOWELL had been a major and a staff officer and had never commanded any men.  At First Bull Run, he was leading 35,000 troops.

P.G.T. BEAUREGARD was an engineer and had never command more than about fifty men which he did during the Mexican War.

JOHN C. FREMONT, known as the Pathfinder, was an explorer and complete failure as an army commander.

WILLIAM T. SHERMAN got his chance at command because of his brother John who was a powerful Ohio politician.  He had essentially failed at everything he had done before the war.

U.S. GRANT was a failure and a civilian when the war came.  Each Congressman had the power to nominate a general.  Elihu Washburne, from Galena, Illinois, where Grant was living pushed for him.

ALBERT  SIDNEY JOHNSTON had commanded a regiment during the Mexican War and had the best pre-war credentials to command an army.

--Old Seecsh

156th Anniversary End of Battle of Bentonville Today-- Part 2

Sherman's 60,000-man army  was divided into two wings:  half were in the left wing marching through Aversaboro and Bentonville and the other half, the right wing were marching on a parallel route to the southeast of Slocum's wing.

Sherman's objective was Goldsboro, where he was going to meet an additional 40,000 troops and supplies.  Union forces had no idea that Johnston had been able to scrape together any sort of resistance, but he had.

Johnston's force numbered some 21,000, including what was left of the shattered Army of Tennessee after Hood's Nashville Campaign.  

After their initial success on March 19,  the Confederates were unable to beat the Union Army and early on March 22 they began to withdraw toward Raleigh.  The Union Army did not pursue them.  The action was the largest battle to be fought on North Carolina soil during the war.

--Old Secesh

156th Anniversary End of Battle of Bentonville-- Part 1: Last Stand in the Carolinas

From the March 18, 2021, Chowan (NC) Herald  "Week in NC History."

On March 19, 1865,  at Bentonville in North Carolina near Goldsboro,  a Confederate army led by Gen. Joseph Johnston attacked the left wing of  Union Gen. William  Sherman's army.  General Lee directed Confederates to make a stand in North Carolina to prevent  Sherman from linking up with General Grant's army in front of Petersburg, Virginia.

Union General Henry Slocum, initially not realizing her faced  an entire army, pushed forward, but was driven back in the afternoon.  Confederates led by Gen. Daniel H. Hill were able to flank Slocum's troops, pouring a devastating fire into them.

Johnston continued his assaults throughout the evening but pulled back once he realized  that the right wing of Sherman's army, which was marching from Fayetteville to Goldsboro, would arrive soon.

--Old Secesh