Alfred T. Smith-- Part 3: His Service

From Colonels in Blue:  Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Lieutenant, U.S. 8th Infantry May 14, 1861

Assistant Professor of Mathematics  USMA  Sept. 1862-March 18, 1865.

Captain, 8th U.S. Infantry, Sept. 19, 1863.

Colonel, 156th Illinois Infantry, April 4, 1865.

Commanded Post of Chattanooga, TN., June 1865.

Commanded 3 Brigade, 2 Separate Division, District of the Etowah, Department of  the Cumberland, June-Aug. 1865.

Acting AIG, staff of  Major General John E. Smith (his father), District of West Tennessee, Aug.-Sept. 1865.

Honorably mustered out, Sept. 20, 1865.

Bvt. Captain, US Army, July 1862 for gallant and meritorious services during the Peninsular Campaign.

Bvt. Major and Bvt. Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, March 13, 1865, for gallant and meritorius services during the war.

Battle Honors:  The Virginia Peninsular Campaign.

Education:  Graduated U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY, 1860.

Was Colonel of 13th U.S. Infantry in the Spanish-American War,

Retired 16 June 1899.

--Old Secesh

Alfred Smith-- Part 2

CAPT. ALFRED THEOPHILUS SMITH

Civil War Union officer.  An 1860 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, he served during the war as a captain in then 8th United States Regular Infantry before being commissioned colonel and commander of the 156th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

He ended the war with brevets to Major and Lieutenant Colonel in the Regular Service.

After the war, he served as Colonel of the  13th United States Infantry and was promoted to Major General on the retired list.

He died in Buffalo, New York, and was cremated there.  His family erected a cenotaph for him in their family plot in Galena.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Technology-- Part 7: Longstreet, Railroads and Cannons

**  General Longstreet was able to move his corps from Virginia to Georgia by rail and took Union forces by surprise which led to victory at Chickamauga.

**  Improvements were made in steam engines plus safety measures.

**  Smoothbore cannons were best against infantry.  

**  Whitworth cannons had a range of 5 miles.  There were some at Fort Fisher.

**  Two main Union foundries:  West Point and Pittsburgh.

**  Trench warfare.

--Old Secesh

Lee and His Generals-- Part 4: About Robert E. Lee

From the July McHenry County Civil War Round Table.

ROBERT E. LEE

His father was famed American Revolution officer "Light Horse" Harry Lee.  He was the one who said of General Washington that he was:  "First in War, First in Peace and First in the Hearts of his Countrymen."

He graduated #2 in his class at West Point.  (Didn't say who was #1.)

He was an engineer and the best West Point grads were appointed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  However, it was pointed ut that he made the statement that Fort Pulaski, guarding Savannah, could never be taken.  Of course that was before rifled cannons.

Lee had no demerits when he graduated from West Point.  The same can not be said for George Armstrong Custer.

During the Mexican War, Lee was in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry and served under Gerneral Winfield Scott.  Scott admired him and was sure Lee was destined for glory.

--Old Secesh

McHenry County CWRT Discussion Group, July 2022: 'Lee and His Generals'-- Part 1: Nicknames

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table met July 24, 2022, at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois, with the topic being "Lee and His Generals."

I prepared a quiz to get us on going.

I was looking for nicknames, what the initials stood for and in what decade they graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point.  Good luck.

1.  Old Jube, Old Jubilee

2.  Old Wooden Head, Sam

3.  What did the A.P. in A.P. Hill's name stand for?

4.  What did the D.H. stand for in D.H. Hill's name?

5.  Old Jack, Bluelight

Answers below.

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1.  Jubal Early, 1837

2.  John Bell Hood, 1853

3.  Ambrose Powell Hill, 1847

4.  Daniel Harvey Hill, 1842

5.  Thomas Jonathan Jackson, "Stonewall", 1846

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Meeting: Henry Haupt-- Part 2: The Railroad Guy

**  Henry Haupt was Lincoln's railroad man.

**  He was appointed to the USMA at West Point at age 14 and graduated at age 18.  He graduated in July and resigned his commission in September.

**  At the Second Battle of Manassas, Union General Pope needed troops.  But the question was, where were those troops.  These troops were with General Samuel Davis Sturgiss.  He kept 10,000 troops out of the action.

**  Haupt knew how to use railroads in a wartime sitiation.  The United States Military Rail Road was formed to make sure the railroads could help the war effort.

**  He rose to prominence during McClellan's Peninsular Campaign

**  He was especially good at building bridges, including the 400 foot long, 100 foot-high trestle over the Potomac Creek in Virginia.

--Old Secesh

Earl Van Dorn-- Part 1

From the American Battlefield Trust.

Van Dorn led the Confederates on the successful raid on Holly Springs.

He graduated number 52 out of 56 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on 1842.  He served several posts in the southern United States before fighting in the Mexican War where he saw combat at  the battles of Monterrey and  Vera Cruz and received brevet  promotions to major for his participation in  in the battles of Cerro Gordo,  Mexico City, Contreras and  Churubusco.

After the war, he saw action against the Seminoles  from 1849-1850 and the Comanches from 1858 to 1859.

He was made a brigadier general in the regular Confederate Army on June 5, 1861, and major general  September 19, 1861.

His first major action of the war came when his force was defeated at the Battle of Pea Ridge.  After the defeat, he was transferred to the Army of the Mississippi and commanded troops at the Battle of Corinth where he did well in the initial phase, but misjudged the Union position and was forced to retreat.

--Old Secesh

Roadtripping with Samuel A. Gilbert-- Part 3: Politicians and Brigadier Generals

**  ELEAZER ARTHUR PAINE 1815-1882):    Graduated from West Point in 1839.  Colonel of 9th Illinois Infantry.  Commanded 4th Division of Army of Mississippi at battles of Corinth,  Island No. 10 and Fort Pillow.  Placed in command of District of West Kentucky and deployed his corps to protect railroads from Confederate  raiders from 1862 to 1864.

Formally reprimanded for  brutality toward citizens  and violating their civil rights, he resigned in  November 1864.  After the war was a lawyer.

**  SAMUEL D. PHILLIPS  (1845-1915):  Indian Campaigns Medal of Honor recipient as member of 2nd U.S. Cavalry.  Received it for action at Muddy Creek, Montana.

**  Quite a few Union brigadier generals and Minnesota politicians.

**  JOHN BENJAMIN SANBORN (1826-1904):  Brigadier General.  Led troops at Battles of Iuka Corinth and Vicksburg.  After war sent to western frontier to subdue hostile Indians and attempted mediation  of difficulties between Indians of Indian Territory and their former slaves who had been freed by the 13th Amendment.

--Old Secesh

Roadtripping with Charles C. Gilbert-- Part 2: Civl War Service

After the Mexican War, he served in Texas for two years before returning to West Point in 1850 as  Assistant Professor of Geography, History and  Ethics and being promoted to first lieutenant on June 10, 1850.  In 1855, now a captain, he returned to Texas and fought the Indians

When the Civil War started, he commanded Fort Cobb in present-day Oklahoma.  Gilbert rejoined his regiment and fought at the Battle of Wilson's Creek where he was wounded.  During the Battle of Shiloh and Siege of Corinth, he was Inspector General of the Army of the Ohio.

During the Confederate  Heartland Offensive, also known as the Kentucky Campaign which led to the Battle of Perryville, Major General  William "Bull" Nelson was wounded at the Battle of Richmond and his Army of Kentucky severely mauled.  Department commander Horatio G. Wright needed to find a replacement for Nelson.

But, the two ranking officers, Generals Charles Cruft and James S. Jackson, refused the promotion.  At their recommendation, Wright promoted Gilbert to fill the vacancy and Gilbert was elevated to acting major general pending the approval of the president.

Several days later, President Abraham Lincoln promoted Gilbert to the rank of brigadier general of U.S. volunteers.  Major General Carlos Buell appointed Gilbert to a corps commander in his Army  of the Ohio, over such generals as  Jeremiah T. Boyle, Jefferson C. Davis and Albin F. Schoeph.  Buell later  denied knowing that Gilbert had not received an official appointment.

Of course, Generals Nelson and Davis were later involved in that shooting incident.

--Old Secesh

Roadtrippin' Through History-- Part 1: Well, Who Was Charles Champion Gilbert?

In the last post,I mentioned this man's name.  Even though he was a West Point graduate and Union general, not many people know of him.  I didn't.  That why it was our "Frank" question.  I like to Roadtrip Thru History where I start with one thing and see where it takes me, much like finding a road and seeing where you end up.

So, we're going to Roadtrip Charles Gilbert.

And, what better place to start in the unknown than with good ol' Wikipedia?

CHARLES CHAMPION GILBERT

(March 1, 1822 to January 17, 1903)

United States  Army officer during the Mexican War and Civil War.

Born in Zanesville, Ohio,  and graduated from West Point in the famed Class of 1846, finishing 21st of 59 students.

His classmates included twenty future Civil War generals, including  George B. McClellan,  Stonewall Jackson,  George Stoneman,  and George Pickett.

During the Mexican War he served in the  3rd U.S. Infantry and 1st U.S. Infantry and fought at Veracruz and Mexico City.

Do You Know Me Now?--  Old Secesh

McHenry County Civil War Round Table Discussion Group: The Perryville Campaign

Opening Questions continued.

6.  What were the reasons for Bragg's invasion of Kentucky?

7.  Bragg started from what Tennessee city?

8.  Who's July Raid through Kentucky served as a factor in Confederate plans that led to the Battle of Perryville?

FRANK QUESTION  (These are generally impossible to answer, but in honor of our good buddy Frank who is out of state these days.)

One of the main Union commanders at the Battle of Perryville was born in Zanesville, Ohio, and a member of the West Point class that included 20 future Civil War generals.  What was his name?   (Also, what class from the USMA had all those generals and how many members were in it?)

Answers below.

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6.  Gain support of Confederate symphatizers.  Draw Union Gen. Carlos Buell back across the Ohio River.

7.  Chattanooga

8.  John Hunt Morgan

FRANK QUESTION:  Charles Champion Gilbert.  Class of 1846.  59 members.

--Old Secesh

Battle of Ball's Bluff-- Part 4: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War

The Battle of Ball's Bluff led to the creation of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, the bane of many a Union officer.  (I can't help but chuckle thinking about the story of Benjamin Butler appearing before the committee after the mess at Fort Fisher.  Supposedly he was in the middle of testifying that the fort could not be taken when news of its fall reached Washington, D.C.)

Both Brigadier General Charles P. Stone and McClelland blamed Col. Edward Baker for the tremendous loss.  But the committee, made up of members of the U.S. Congress were not about to place the blame on one of their own.

So, the committee went after Stone and had him arrested and confined for six months.  In the end, this ruined Stone's military career..

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**   A good question was brought up by one of the people in attendance and that was "Was the California Brigade made up of mostly men from California?"

Answer:  The California Brigade was kind of a misnomer as very few were from California.  Some had been out to California and returned.  Most of the men were from Philadelphia and New York City.

**  West Point grads had problems commanding such large numbers of troops as were now in uniform for the war.  Before that, most had never commanded more than a company or regiment at most.

**  Stone engineered the base of the Statue of Liberty.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Artillery-- Part 7: Naming Those Cannons

These were mentioned at the McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table meeting on March 26, 2022, when the topic was Civil War Artillery.

**  The West Point Foundry, by the USMA was owned by Robert Parker Parrott.

**  The main Confederate foundry was Tredegar in Richmond.

**  The Lincoln Gun at Fort Monroe was a huge 15-inch Rodman cannon and designed to fire a huge projectile across Hampton Roads and the Chesapeake Bay to the Virginia shore. 

**  Fort Wool and Fort Monroe were across from each other in the Chesapeake Bay and so situated as to cause any enemy ship trying to pass them to come under direct fire from both forts.

**  Rodman guns were some of the Union's heaviest ordnance.

**  Whistlin' Dick was the name of cannon at Vicksburg

**  The Dictator was huge Union mortar.

--Old Secesh

Joseph Pannell Taylor's Daughter Married Future Confederate General David Rumph Jones

Sarah Rebecca Taylor Jones, a daughter of Union  General Joseph Pannell Taylor, brother of President Zachary Taylor, married David Rumph Jones, a Civil War Confederate major general.

DAVID RUMPH JONES

BIRTH:  5 April 1825, Orangeburg County, South Carolina

DEATH:  20 January 1863 (aged 37), Richmond, Virginia

BURIAL:  Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia

Born in South Carolina, but family moved to Georgia from where he was appointed a cadet at the United States Military Academy on July 1, 1842.  He graduated in 1846, placing 46th out of a class of  59.  Among his classmates were  future Confederate general Stonewall Jackson and Union general George B. McClellan.

--Old Secesh

President Zachary Taylor's Grandsons Fought for the Confederacy: Robert Crooke Wood, Jr.-- Part 1

Their mother was Ann Mackall Taylor Wood, daughter of Zachary Taylor, president of the United States.  She married Robert Crooke Wood, who was an officer in the United States Army who continued to serve the Union forces in the Civil War.

Their two sons, however, joined the Confederacy, one in the Army and the other in the Navy.

From Find-A-Grave.

COLONEL ROBERT CROOKE WOOD, JR.

BORN:  4 April 1832, Fort Snelling, Minnesota

DIED:  4 December  1900  (aged 68)  , Orleans Parish, Louisiana

BURIED:  Metarie Cemetery, New Orleans, Louisiana.

His grandfather was President Zachary Taylor,  His uncle by marriage was Jefferson Davis, Confederate president.

Education:  Kentucky Military Institute.  Attended St, Mary's College.  1850-1853 attended USMA, West Point.

1855-1858 served as lieutenant in 2nd U.S. Cavalry.

--Old Secesh

The First Day at the Battle of Shepherdstown-- Part 3: William Pendleton Prepares for the Union Chase

William N. Pendleton was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1809 and graduated from West Point in 1830, a year after Robert E. Lee.  He spent three years in the Army before resigning to become an Episcopal priest, a vocation he continued  in addition to his military duties during the Civil War and that led to his nickname "Parson."

He taught at the Virginia Military Institute, serving on the faculty  with the future "Stonewall" Jackson.  At the outbreak of the war, Pendleton commanded the Rockbridge Battery, taking with him four cannons from VMI dubbed "Matthey", "Mark", "Luke" and "John."

Valued for his administrative skills, he moved through the ranks of the Confederate Army from colonel to brigadier general by March 1862.  And then he was  in the command of the Army of Northern Virginia's artillery.

He put together an artillery reserve of 44 cannons to guard the crossing at Boteler's Ford.  He managed to place 33 of the in position.  Despite looking good on paper, many of the guns were of too short range to battle with federal artillery on the other shore.  He also was given two battered brigades to protect the artillery which he posted along the shore.

--Old Secesh

RoadTrippin' Thru History-- Part 15: A Beneficial Marriage for Captain Pershing?

John Joseph Pershing graduated from West Point in 1886, tanked #30 in his class of 77.  On 1895, he took command of the 10th Cavalry Regiment, one of the original Buffalo Soldiers units.  In 1897, he was an instructor at West Point and was unpopular with the cadets who nicknamed  him "N___ Jack" because of his leading the Buffalo Soldiers  Eventually this was softened to "Blackjack" a nickname that stuck with him the rest of his life.

In 1905, he married the daughter of U.S. Senator from Wyoming, Francis E. Warren, Helen, and had four children with her.  He was twenty years her senior.  It was a huge wedding in Washington, D.C., and reportedly Francis Warren said he wasn't going to have his daughter married to a lowly captain, that nothing less than a general would do.

President Theodore Roosevelt had visited Wyoming several times and stayed with Warren and was a good friend.  Advancement through the ranks was rapid for the captain, who within a few years rose to major, lieutenant colonel, colonel and then brigadier general.  In so doing, he was advanced over nearly 900 officers with more seniority.  And doing this during a peacetime army, quite an accomplishment.  It must be good to have friends in high places.

Tragedy struck in 1915, when a mysterious fire at the Presidio in San Francisco killed Helen and three of her four children.  Only his son Francis Warren Pershing survived.

I've Got Friends in High Places.  --Old Secesh

Civil War Generals-- Part 5: Better Know Your French at the Point

The first ten major generals appointed in the Union had six politicians among them.  Also John A. Dix, George McClellan and David Hunter.

Those not on the list included three who would rise to stature in the war:  Grant, Sherman and Sheridan.

As far as experience for general officers in commanding large groups, there wasn't much.  Before the war (and after the Mexican War) the U.S. Army was involved primarily in fighting Indians and commands were small groups and companies.  Much of the time was spent building forts.

Graduating classes from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point were placed according to what part of the class they graduated in.  The top third became army engineers, Middle third went to the infantry and bottom third to the cavalry.  A lot of your class standing at the Point came from your knowledge and speaking ability of French, which was THE language at the place.  If you couldn't speak it, your chances of rising was not likely.

Duty on the frontier was boring and many officers out there took up drinking to pass the time.

Robert Toombs, Georgia politician and Confederate officer once said:  "The Confederacy died of West Point."

--Old Secesh

McHenry County CWRT June 8-- Part 3: Poltroons, Patriots & Politicians

Our speaker was Bruce Allardice and his topic was "Poltroons, Patriots & Politicians:  Civil War Generals.  Well, I had to look up "Poltroons" to see what it meant.  In case you also don't know, it means an utter coward.

So, we were going to hear about Civil War generals.  This presentation could also have been called "Civil War generals:  The Good, the Bad & the Ugly."  After hearing the talk, it was amazing that these generals could have fought their way out of a paper bag, even with some help.

But, anyway, he handed out a Civil War Generals Fact Sheet and is was of interest, so I will write it down here.  These numbers taken from Ezra Warner's "generals in Blue" and "Generals in Gray" with, as he says, slight modifications.

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PREWAR MILITARY EXPERIENCE   The first number will be Union generals and the second Confederate.

West Point Graduates:    217  //  146

West Point Non-Graduates:     11  //  10

Attended Other Military Schools:      9  // 23

Regular Army/Navy Officers:    36  //  22

State Militia:    40  // 10

And More.  --Old Secesh

So, Who was Confederate General Alfred Mouton?

 I wrote about this man in my Civil War II blog as he has a statue in front of the Lafayette Parish courthouse in Louisiana that certain people want removed.  I have heard about him, but that is about all.  The article had this to say about him.

Alfred Mouton was the son of the 9th governor of Louisiana, attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and later returned to Lafayette where he became a landowner and, of course, slaveowner.  He supported the parish's laws limiting the assembly of Blacks and their ability to move around.

He was killed at the Battle of Mansfield in 1864.

The Alfred Mouton charter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy donated the statue to the city in 1922

--Old Secesh