LINCOLN FINDS A GENERAL
KENNETH P. WILLIAMS
LINCOLN FINDS A GENERAL
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A Military Study if the Civil War
WITH M...
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LINCOLN FINDS A GENERAL
KENNETH P. WILLIAMS
LINCOLN FINDS A GENERAL
*/ "
A Military Study if the Civil War
WITH MAPS BY CLARK RAY
VOLUME
ONE
PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Indiana University Press Bloomington
© 1949 by Kenneth P. Williams
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses' Resolution on PermiSSIOn constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Williams, Kenneth P. (Kenneth Powers), 1887-1958. Lincoln finds a general. 1. United States-History-Civil War, 1861-1865Campaigns. 2. Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865-Military leadership. 3. Generals-United States-History19th century. I. Title. 973.7'3 85-42531 E470.W765 1985 ISBN 0-253-33437-3 (v. 1) ISBN 0-253-20359-7 (pbk. : v. 1)
PERMISSION to quote copyrighted material is acknowledged to publishers and authors as follows: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc.-General McClellan, by Peter S. Michie, New York and London, D. Appleton and Company (1915), General George Brinton McClellan by W. S. Myers, copyright, 1934, D. Appleton-Century, Inc., Washington in Lincoln's Time by Noah Brooks, The Century Company, New York (1895), and Campaigning with Grant by Horace Porter, The Century Company, New York (1907); The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc.-Fighting loe Hooker by Walter H. Hebert, copyright, 1944, by Walter H. Hebert; Coward-McCann, Inc.Conflict; The American Civil War by George Fort Milton, copyright, 1941, by George Fort Milton; Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc.-Lincoln and the Civil War by Tyler Dennett, copyright, 1939, by Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc., American War of Independence by F. E. Whitton, copyright, 1931, by F. E. Whitton, The Generalship of Ulysses S. Grant by Colonel J. F. C. Fuller, copyright, 1929, by Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc., Lincoln the President by James Garfield Randall, copyright, 1945, by Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc.; Doubleday & Company, Inc.-Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee by Captain Robert E. Lee; Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed.-"Rifles" by Captain C. F. Atkinson; Harper & Brothers-Reveille in Washington by Margaret Leech (1941); D. C. Heath and Company-The Civil War and Reconstruction by J. G. Randall (1937); Houghton Mifflin Company-Diary of Gideon Welles by Gideon Welles (1911),1914 by Field Marshal Viscount French of Ypres (1919), and Autobiography by Charles Francis Adams, Jr. (1916); Little, Brown & Company-Why Was Lincoln Murdered? by Otto Eisenschiml (1937); Little, Brown & Company and Atlantic Monthly Press-Lincoln's War Cabinet by B. J. Hendrick (1946); Longmans, Green & Company, Inc.Stonewalllackson and the American Civil War by Colonel G. F. Henderson, and The Crisis of the Confederacy by Cecil W. Battine (1905); J. Horace McFarland Company-The Battle of Gettysburg by W. E. Storrick (1931); The Macmillan Company-History of the Civil War by J. F. Rhodes (1917), The Biography of the Late Marshal Foch by Major General Sir George Aston (1929), and Mr. Secretary by Ben Ames Williams, Jr. (1940); W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.-Memoirs of a Volunteer by John Beatty, copyright, 1946, by W. W. Norton & Company; Oxford University Press-The Military Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Colin R. Ballard (1926); G. P. Putnam's Sons-The Story of the Balti-
V
more and Ohio Railroad by Edward Hungerford (1928), and Ulysses S. Grant and the Period of National Preservation and Reconstruction by W. C. Church (1926); Charles Scribner's Sons-The Life and Letters of General George Gordon Meade by George G. Meade (19l3), Lee's Lieutenants by Douglas S. Freeman (1942), R. E. Lee by Douglas S. Freeman (1934), Letters from Lee's Army by Susan Leigh Blackford (1947), and War Years with Jeb Stuart by Lt. Colonel W. W. Blackford (1945); University of Alabama Press-The Civil War Diary of General Josiah Gorgas by Frank E. Vandiver (1947); The University of North Carolina Press-George B. McClellan, The Man Who Saved the Union by, H. J. Eckenrode and Bryan Conrad, copyright, 1941, by The University of North Carolina Press, and I Rode with Stonewall by Henry Kyd Douglas, copyright, 1940, by The University of North Carolina Press; University of Pennsylvania Press-South After Gettysburg by Cornelia Hancock (1937); The University of Wisconsin Press-Lincoln and the Radicals by T. Harry Williams; Yale University Press-A Volunteer's Adventures by John W. De Forest (1946), and The Campaign of Chancellorsville by John Bigelow, Jr. (1910).
vi
To E. A. W. and E. L. W.
c=:J1 LINCOLN'S chief military problem was to find a general equal to the hard task the North faced in the Civil War. Though its resources were far in excess of those of the South, they were largely offset by the different roles of the two contestants. The North in the end had to do nothing less than conquer a large area defended by brave anl1ies commanded by some of the best generals this nation has produced. Great superiority in man power and munitions was needed; but it was not sufficient. It was a case of Napoleon's maxim of the necessity of the man. The man whom Lincoln found came up the hard way, beginning as commander of a regiment, and ending as General in Chief. He enjoyed no favoritism of superiors, but actually encountered jealousy and distrust; even after he had achieved a notable success, exaggerations and distortions spread harmful rumors behind him. Ulysses S. Grant remains unique after two world wars; he is still in many ways the most profitable and the most inspiring of all generals to study. He was a soldier's soldier, a general's general. He was always thoughtful of his subordinates, and fitted his instructions to their experience and talents; he never forgot that his superiors had hard problems; he worked tirelessly with what was given him and made no excuses or complaints. He was the embodiment of the offensive spirit that leaves the enemy no rest. He solved problems his own way, not in accordance with maxims, or the doctrines set forth by some school. Thus he was an original contributor to military art and science. He carried no staff manual to study for clues, no check list to scan for anything possibly forgotten. If his orders were logical and covered ~ltuations well, it was because he thought that way, not because he could follow a form. As he did not have a highly trained staff of the modem type, one sees in him a remarkable master of detail, as well as
ix
PREFACE
PREFACE
a general who had to make his great decisions without the aid of subordinates selected and trained to help commanders. He began with a small but bold combined operation; he finished with a pursuit that had a perfect ending. Of all the generals in the war-on either side-he alone demonstrated his capacity to command small forces as well as large ones in battle under a great variety of circumstances, and finally to plan and direct the operations of several armies. Three years of war passed before the historic day in March, 1864, when the experienced and modest Grant met Lincoln, also experienced and equally modest. Behind the General were notable successes; behind the President were months of disappointment with generals who had been unequal to the hard task of conducting offensive operations against the Confederate army commanded by Lee, and who had even missed good chances of shortening the war by destroying Lee's army on his two ventures across the Potomac. It is to the story of those months-months while Grant was maturing in the West-that the present volumes are mainly devoted. How had Lincoln dealt with his other generals? Had he treated them fairly and given them adequate opportunities to display their capacities as commanders? Did he act hastily in changing them, or-judged from modem standardspatiently and leniently? These assuredly are crucial questions in the study of Lincoln. Only by surveying the campaigns of the generals can one form an idea of how Lincoln felt about them on that day when he handed to Grant his commission of Lieutenant General. Later volumes will study the man who drew from his pocket a paper on which he had written his concise words of acceptance. The Official Records of the war are the chief source. The 128 volumes of the set, thick and heavy, with somber black bindings, look a little forbidding on the shelves of a library. And the main title The War of the Rebellion adds to their grimness. But few books even in a great collection contain material that reveals more clearly the character of men. Messages and orders contained in the records, rather than statements made in reports written subsequent to events, have been especially employed. In them we have the most reliable of documents. The work aims to be critical as well as narrative, and other writers are quoted or referred to when their points of view or their words have seemed to be especially striking, or their judgments particularly weighty. In the extensive literature of the war, views in sharp contrast to those here espoused have been set forth; in some instances they are
fashionable. I believe that in every really significant case such discordant ideas are noted, and are discussed in the text, the notes, or the appendix. For the most part the sketches I furnished to Mr. Ray were based upon, and frequently traced from, maps in the two volumes of the atlas that form part of the Official Records, or upon maps in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Minor discrepancies result from this. The aim has been to keep the maps free from too much confusing detail. The end maps should meet the needs of general orientation. In laying down the railroads on the front map, an effort was made to resolve inconsistencies shown in different maps in the official atlas; and it is hoped that no major error remains in the important strategic lines. In placing the superior numbers that refer to notes, I have had the general reader in mind, rather than the rules followed in technical publications. Judgment in particular cases, rather than a rule, has also determined whether a single page of the Official Records should be cited, or all the pages devoted to a letter or dispatch, where it exceeds the limit of one page. K.P.W. Department of Mathematics Indiana University March 26, 1949
x
xi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
IT
IS a pleasure to acknowledge encouragement and assistance that have been received during the writing of the work. Herman B Wells, President of Indiana University; Dean J. W. Ashton of the college of arts and sciences; Dean Stith Thompson of the graduate school; Professor Tracy Thomas, chairman of the mathematics department, were all generous in their approval of a project that took my time away from normal lines of study. President Emeritus William L. Bryan contributed to the background of interest that was essential, and has strengthened some of the convictions that I hold. Throughout the years conversations with him that began on academic questions had the habit of terminating with the Civil War and Grant. Professors R. C. Buley of the department of history, and Oliver Field of the department of government, were instrumental in the expansion of the work beyond the limits originally intended. Dr. Robert A. Miller, director of libraries, and members of his staff have more than met requests that were made of them. Colleagues who have read some of the chapters and made suggestions, or who have answered questions helpfully, are: Professors A. L. Kohlmeier, Cecil K. Byrd, Edward H. Buerig, John M. Hill, Harold E. Wolfe, J. W. T. Youngs, Mr. Charles Harrell, Mr. Ronald Ives, and Mr. Earl Hoff. Thanks are due to Miss Virginia Watts of the Indiana State Library, to Miss Esther Nugent, Miss Jane E. Rodman, Mrs. Betty Jones, and to Miss Mary Maillard for checking some of the material. Mrs. John W. Bricker of Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Victor Schleicher of Belleville, New Jersey, Mrs. Madge Pickard Palmer of East Paterson, New Jersey, and Dr. A. C. Arnett of Lafayette, Indiana, were helpful readers of some of the chapters. Mrs. C. H. Blackman, Mr. T. L. Nuckols, and Mr. J. S. McBride, chief engineers of the Louisville & Nashville, the
xiii
xiv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Chesapeake and Ohio, and the Chicago & Eastern Illinois railroads, respectively, kindly furnished information about parts of their lines during the Civil War. Mrs. Emma Jane Ittner did much of the work on the index and gathered material for some notes and checked quotations and references. To some persons a special debt is owed. My wife read the entire manuscript, and many pages were improved by her. Colonel Herbert S. Esden was a reader and adviser with whom I have discussed most of the operations and commanders. Captain E. K. Elkins gave generously of his time for several weeks. Through Colonel T. F. Wessels I made the acquaintance of Mr. R. S. Thomas of the Historical Division of the War Department Special Staff, and Major General E. F. Harding, former chief of the division. Mr. Thomas read the manuscript and I had the benefit of some discussion with him. General Harding's experience as an editor, writer, and field commander made him such a reader as an author is not often fortunate enough to find.
1c=J1 I
A Preview of a General
IT The Fort That Was a Symbol ill A Day Too Late: First Bull Run IV The Advent of McClellan
V VI VII VIII IX X XI
XII XIII
1
16 60 103 Quaker Guns and Big Reviews 122 Yorktown to Fair Oaks 152 High Drama in the Valley 187 Flight Across the Swamps: The Seven Days' Battles 214 Professionals Take Command 242 Maneuver in Grand Style 273 Three Generals and Three Days 309 Second Bull Run 333 Prelude to Antietam 356 Notes to Chapters I-XIII 384
xv
ILLUSTRATIONS
Frontispiece Facing page 24
President Abraham Lincoln Lieutenant General Winfield Scott Major General Irvin McDowell Major General George B. McClellan Major General Henry W. Halleck Major General John Pope
66 104
254 316
MAPS The Wilderness and Vicinity Charleston Harbor Northeast Virginia Theater of War Marches to First Bull Run First Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861 Region of McClellan's West Virginia Campaign Lower Potomac Region The Yorktown Peninsula Battle of Fair Oaks (Seven Pines), May 31, 1862 Shenandoah Valley Vicinity of Port Republic The Seven Days' Battles, June 25 to July 1, 186:. Battle of Gaines's Mill, June 27, 1862 Battle ofFrayser's Farm, June 30,1862 Region of Pope's Concentration Pope and Jackson, August 8, 1862 Battle of Cedar Mountain, August 9,1862 Pope's Situation at Evening of August 20, 1862 Vicinity of Warrenton Pope and Lee at Evening of August 26, 1862 Pope and Lee at Evening of August 27, 1862 Pope and Lee at Evening of August 28, 1862 Second Battle of Bull Run, 3:30 P.M., August 29, 1862 Second Battle of Bull Run, August 30, 1862 McClellan and Lee at Evening of September 13,1862
xvii
Page 3
19 69 87 92 107
142 163 184 189 201 223 227 236 260 266 268 279 283 299 314 319 329 336 377
LINCOLN FINDS A GENERAL VOLUME ONE
CHAPTER I
A PREVIEW OF A GENERAL Until they feel the enemy. *
IN
the early hours of May 4, 1864-at the beginning of the fourth year of the great American Civil War-the Union Army of the Potomac opened a campaign that was in many ways without precedent in the annals of warfare. For almost a year it would be in constant and close contact with its adversary, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. There would be day after day of battle, fiercer and more determined than any armies had ever waged before, interspersed with bitter skirmishes. There would be movements the execution of which would test the courage and skill of the ablest commanders and the most seasoned troops; there would be losses in killed, wounded, and missing that would try the souls of the people who sustained the armies. Finally the end would come miles away in the quiet parlor of an unpretentious house in Appomattox, Virginia-a village until then without famewhen the two Generals in Chief of the North and the South, after a handclasp and a reminiscent conversation, put their signatures to documents that have found a permanent place among the cherished possessions of their people. The campaign began with the crossing of the Rapidan River, which had separated the rival armies during the winter. Three times in the
* The quotations that stand at the heads of chapters will be found in proper context in the chapters. In general they are identified where they appear below the chapter headings; the words quoted here occurred in an army order. [1]
2
LINCOLN FINDS A GENERAL
past the Army of the Potomac had ventured to cross the Rapidan, and the lower Rappahannock. Twice it had returned after suffering defeats; once it had marched back somewhat ingloriously without risking battle. The crossing was made a little above the point where the Rapidan flows into the Rappahannock ten miles from historic Fredericksburg, approximately halfway between Washington and Richmond. Of the fords used by the Federal army, it was Germanna that was on the exposed flank not far from the winter encampments of the Confederates, and for the cavalry division under the command of Brigadier General James H. Wilson, which was to cover the crossing there, the operation orderwhich began, "The army will move on Wednesday, the 4th of May, 1864"-gave the following direction: At midnight on the 3d of May, the Third Cavalry Division, with onehalf the canvas pontoon bridge train, which will join it after dark, will move to Germanna Ford, taking the plank road, and cross the Rapidan as soon as the bridge is laid, if the river is not fordable, and hold the crossing until the infantry of the Fifth Corps is up. It will then move to Parker's Store on the Orange Court-House plank road, or that vicinity, sending out strong reconnaissances on the Orange pike and plank roads and the Catharpin and Pamunkey roads, until they feel the enemy, and at least as far as Robertson's Tavern, the New Hope Church, and Almond's or Robinson's.1
One can imagine Wilson's troopers, as the hour of midnight approached, standing to horse with all equipment in good order, carbines and revolvers inspected, sabers checked, saddle bags packed, canteens and cartridge boxes filled, forage on their saddles, wagons gone to the assembly point of the army quartermaster-completely mobile and quietly waiting. The two six-gun batteries of regular horse artillery, Pennington's and Fitzhugh's, which had been given to Wilson to add more substance to his fire power, had recently reported "in splendid condition." Now they waited with horses well groomed, leather cleaned and oiled, carriages immaculate, as if for a holiday parade; but with caissons and limbers filled for the grim business ahead. Probably there were no trumpet calls to break the quiet of the night, for this was enemy country and every inhabitant was a potential intelligence agent. The march order had provided for this fact by sending cavalry guards the day before to all the houses "in advance toward the Rapidan, so as to prevent any communication with the enemy by the inhabitants." In-
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