USA > Tennessee > The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and early western history, including a chronological summary of battles and engagements in the western armies of the Confederacy > Part 5
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" Who are you ?" they asked.
"I am Jeff Davis! Who are you ?"
" We are Abe Lincoln !"
" Well, Abe Lincoln, you are our prisoners."
By this time he had possession of their Enfields, which were lean- ing against the wall.
"Where are your men?" asked one of the soldiers. "They are be- hind the house; come out and see for yourselves," the Colonel invit- ingly replied. The "boys in blue " made no further parley, and sur- rendered at discretion.
As he started off with the prisoners, a lady came to the door and he asked what she had for breakfast. She answered that she was cooking a goose for the soldiers. "Is it done?" "Not quite." "Bring it out and some bread."
Receiving the smoking goose and some pones of hot corn-bread, which latter he had to slip in his bosom for safe transportation, and, with a gun in each hand, he arrived safely in his own lines with his prisoners, who tried hard to laugh at the joke played on them by a single rebel.
Take Me to the Rear, Quick -A Federal Captain was cap_ tured by the Forty-fourth Tennessee regiment, at Chickamauga, in the heat of the fight. He had lost his hat and was advised by some of the boys to pick up one. "No," said he, "I'll get my d-n head shot off hunting around for a hat. Take me to the rear as quick as you can."
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THE ANNALS OF THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE
EDITORIAL.
TT may be well for us to state the origin of the enterprise which we have undertaken to conduct, and to define its status. For some years we have been in the habit of committing to writing such recol- lections of army life as we could recall, or get from the lips of others. At first only minor incidents, anecdotes, and short sketches were at- tempted. Then followed the graver matters of our history, which required a more careful handling, and the use of official and authentic data for reference and verification. On attempting to obtain published material in the shape of official reports of battles and other written history of events in the western part of the late Confederate States, we found none accessible. The editions of Confederate official reports were out of print, and copies so scarce as not to be had after a perse- vering inquiry of several months in different States. Further, we · found that the field of historical investigation had hardly been touched by any regular and systematic labor in that direction. As the venera- ble historian, Dr. Ramsey, says, in his letter published in the ANNALS, "The field is wide and inviting, but the laborers are few." In view of these circumstances it was apparent, on reflection, that the history of the western armies would have to be gathered from the lips of the sur- vivors to a great extent, and that, too, in a short time, as many of the leading actors had passed away, and the common fate must, soon or late, overtake them all. Thereupon, in January of this year, with the approval of a number of our soldiers at Fayetteville, Tenn., we issued a circular to the public calling attention to the existing facts, and proposing a remedy before it was too late. It was distributed in this and other States, and the argument met with a prompt response of approval from every quarter from our representative men, and particu- larly from the press, showing that the suggestion was timely, and had reached the popular heart. At the suggestion of a number of gentle- men we issued a prospectus for a monthly magazine of history, and the tokens of public approval, in the shape of a substantial subscrip- tion list, have enabled us to give a practical shape to the movement begun a few weeks ago, and the first number of the ANNALS OF THE
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AND EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
ARMY OF TENNESSEE AND EARLY WESTERN HISTORY is before you. Its mission is to collect and preserve from loss every fact which can illustrate the nature and extent of the mighty struggle we waged for the supremacy of our arms, from the first shot which broke our half century of internal peace to the last order, to stack arms on a defeated field, and yield our bodies to the mercies of a conquering host, who, happily for us and their own honor, exacted no degrading terms of submission.
The ANNALS will aim to subserve only the interests of truthful his- tory, and will not seek to perpetuate error and misrepresentation, how- ever gratifying they may be to our pride. It will be a glorious con- summation if it gathers enough truth into its pages to do justice to our dead, and claim for the living the respect due to men who, for four long years, fought to maintain their convictions of the justice of their cause.
It is only in this spirit that we regard the pursuit of historical inves- tigation as having any value. If it is used improperly by us, or by our late foes, the attempt will redound only to the discredit of the authors of it, and lessen the value of what is good and worthy of preserva- tion.
In our conduct of the ANNALS we will endeavor to be guided by these simple rules, as far as any thing is concerned which comes from our pen. For the statements of correspondents, of course, we will not be responsible. If errors occur, our columns will be open for their cor- rection.
In conclusion, we will say that the ANNALS is not the protege of an army organization, and possesses no official sanction, except such as has been accorded by the voluntary approval and commendation of a number of Confederate soldiers, of every rank and grade, and of rep- resentative men in literary and politcial circles in this and other States.
W TE ask all who feel an interest in the collection and preservation of our history, to forward to the ANNALS diaries and other man- uscripts or copies if preferred, old files of newspapers and other pe- riodicals, original communications, giving specific and authentic infor- mation concerning our battles, skirmishes, marches, etc. Also sketches suitable for the Soldier's War-Bag. We particularly want material which will give a correct estimate of the character, traits, and services of our dead of every rank and grade.
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T HE following kindly notice of the ANNALS, from the Southern His- torical Society Papers, fully explains the relations of these two monthlies to each other. The injustice complained of, was certainly not intentional. Our attention in the West has been drawn so little to matters historical, that we can well afford to plead ignorance of the extent of the noble efforts in that direction by the Southern Historical Society. There had been no special effort to introduce its publications to our people until this year, and our reading only extended to the Gettysburg series of papers, from which it was easy to make the mis- take.
The two fields are wide and inviting to the searcher after historical materials, and will tax the efforts of both monthlies to the utmost to reclaim and preserve much that would otherwise be lost in the next few years.
We believe the argument advanced in our first circular to be good : that the important points in our history could be gotten only by a dis- cussion of events in which our soldiers were actors, and thus person- ally interested; and, to provoke a discussion, it was necessary to have a home organ.
The Land We Love was certainly the parent of historical monthlies in the South; but to the Southern Historical Society is due the credit and honor of making an extended and systematic effort in this cause, and we hope to see its publications circulating in every nook and corner of our Southern Land. We rejoice to know that it is so firmly established, and able to do so much service in the field of general his- tory. The ANNALS, as yet, is in its infancy, and if our people fail to sustain it, it will be gratifying to know that one able worker will still remains.
"ANNALS OF THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE is the title of a new monthly which it is proposed to start in April at Nashville, Tenn.
" We have received the circular and prospectus from the editor, Dr. E. L. Drake, and shall cordially welcome the new worker in the cause of historic truth, and bid it a hearty 'God-speed.' The circular is signed by a number of gallant soldiers of the Western army, and con- tains a number of important statements in reference to the preservation and vindication of the truth of history, especially as it regards the achievements of the Western armies.
"It, however, does the Southern Historical Society injustice (unin- tentionally, of course) in the statement that our publications have been
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AND EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
'confined mainly' to the Army of Northern Virginia. We have pub- lished a large number of articles on the general history of the Confed- tracy, in which the soldiers of all our armies are alike interested, and we have published a number of reports, 'Recollections,' etc., of the Southern, Western, and South-western armies. For the past six months, we have devoted a large part of our space to Gettysburg; but we are ready to illustrate as fully the great battles of the West, if our friends who fought them so gallantly will only furnish us the material.
"The truth is, that our Society was originally started in New Orleans by officers of the Western army-that we have on our shelves a large mass of material which illustrates the gallant deeds of our comrades of the West-and that, while we hail the 'ANNALS' as a valuable co- worker and helper, we shall still claim the privilege of asking our friends in the West to help us to put them right on the record."
G ENERAL CLEBURNE'S Official Report, though appearing in the published Table of Contents, is left out of this number, to make room for matter which has never before been in print. The paper of General Johnston is of general interest, and an authorita- tive refutation of many errors and misstatements which have been be- fore the public for years in General Sherman's Memoirs. We will fol- low this rule, to give our unwritten history the benefit of publication before it is lost. For the May number of the ANNALS, we are prom- ised some original papers, which will throw light on important events yet misunderstood or hardly known outside of a narrow circle of wit- nesses. We have on hand files of a number of newspapers, from 1860 to 1865, from which we will extract, to show the spirit of those times. They contain an amount of valuable information in the shape of Military Orders, Acts of the Confederate Congress, Records of Current Events, Leading Editorials on important subjects, letters from Northern prisons, etc., etc.
SEVERAL of our War Bag sketches have been left out of this issue, sacrified, for the present, to the exigencies of the printer.
T HE Official Report of Colonel Starnes is from the original man- uscript in pencil, and, as far as can be ascertained, the last he ever wrote.
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'T HE Diary of Private Davidson gives a very correct and graphic account of the daily life of a soldier in Mississippi. Of course, mere rumors and camp-talk do not constitute the data of truthful his- tory, but diaries have this value : they give life and spirit to the times of which they treat, and sometimes settle disputed questions, in place of the after-thought, which may invent a solution. The Forty-first Tennessee never had greater trials than it was compelled to face daily, in its long and loathsome quarantine in the magnolia forest at Port Hudson.
0 WING to lack of room, we are compelled to defer, to another issue, the publication of a number of letters from our soldiers, expressing their good-will for our monthly-among them, one from General Hood, who commanded the Army of Tennessee in the most trying hour of its fortunes; one from Judge Marks, of the 17th Ten- nessee; from Colonel Hale, of the 2nd Tennessee; from Maj. Win- chester, of General Bate's staff, and many others-all expressing the · same spirit of interest in the preservation of our history. We are under particular obligations to Governor Porter, of this State, Gener- als Bate, Cheatham, Palmer, and Chancellor Marks, and others, for valued favors in furthering the progress of the work. Governor Por- ter has been looking into the old archives of the State with antiquarian zeal, and has brought to light many valuable, but hitherto neglected, documents bearing on the early history of Tennessee.
LL communications must be addressed to the Editor, at Fayette- ville, Tenn., for the present. Remittances must be made by Draft, Post-Office Order, or Express. Terms of subscription to the ANNALS : Two Dollars per annum, in advance.
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AND EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
CORRESPONDENCE.
Dr. E. L. Drake-My Dear Sir :-- It was with pleasure that I re- ceived your favor, and am much gratified to learn of your proposed enterprise.
The individual gallantry exhibited by private soldiers and subaltern officers during our war was of a character which should be recorded and preserved in the interests, as well of the society of to-day as of posterity. If not rescued from oblivion by a hand extended as you have extended yours, what is to be its fate ?
For nearly a seventh of a century the government, and most of the literature of our country, have been in the hands of those whose inter- est seemed to demand, and certainly whose efforts have been exerted in, the misrepresentation of our people.
Let another decenium roll over with the same influences, and what will the rising generation know of the valor displayed on a hundred fields of battle, where a quarter of a million of chivalry's truest sons fell in heroic action, one-fourth of them to rest there forever. Facts and figures, if preserved, are eloquent proofs of the devoted gallantry of our soldiers.
In the first real battle of the Army of Tennessee, our thirty-three thousand lost double as many killed and wounded as was lost by the entire American army of one hundred thousand men in the two years' war with Mexico; and at the battle of the Wilderness, on May toth, my recollection is that our troops inflicted upon Grant's army a loss of over thirty thousand, which would be nearly ten times the loss of the American army in Mexico.
At Chickamauga we inflicted a loss on Rosecranz as great as the loss sustained by Napoleon at Waterloo, when opposed by Wellington and Blucher, with an army one hundred thousand strong; and in many single battles the loss we inflicted upon our opposing forces equaled, and often exceeded, the entire loss in killed and wounded which the German army sustained in its march upon Paris and con- quest of France, in 1871 ; and when the Russian and Turkish war is officially written, we will find that even they will fail to show such re-"
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sults of prowess as was displayed on either side in the great American conflict.
If we let these acts pass unnoticed, and admire the opulence of those who stole and traded while our Southern cherished sons bled and died, we cannot expect the coming generation to be molded in that type which made Southern chivalry and Southern honor the admiration and emulation of the world.
With great respect, your obedient servant, JOS. WHEELER. Wheeler, Ala., March 19, 1876.
Dr. E. L. Drake, Editor Annals of the Army of Tennessee-My Dear Sir :- The prospectus of your forthcoming ANNALS OF THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE has been duly received, and examined with some care. In this journalistic enterprise I cannot withhold from you the expression of my warmest sympathy, and the assurance of my strenuous co-oper- ation. In another position I have for several years been laboring in the field of investigation and research into the whole past of Tennessee. Something has already been effected by the State Historical Society, and the Association has received much to encourage it in the prosecu- tion of its objects in the future. The field is wide and most inviting, but the laborers are few. There ought not to be-there cannot be -- between us any competition or rivalry ; our objects are the same-viz., to rescue from oblivion every thing that add eclat and celebrity to the proud escutcheon of Tennessee. I wish your enterprise every possible success, and will, on the appearance of your first number, inclose the price of subscription.
I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. G. M. RAMSEY. Knoxville, Tenn., March, 1, 1878.
Dr. E. L. Drake-Dear Sir :- We heartily indorse the ANNALS, and hope the publication will be successfully carried out.
W. C. WHITTHORNE, WM. P. CALDWELL, J. D. C. ATKINS, JNO. M. BRIGHT, H. Y. RIDDLE, CASEY YOUNG, G. G. DIBRELL, JNO. F. HOUSE.
Houseof Representatives, Washington, Feb. 27, 1878.
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AND EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
Dr. E. L. Drake-Dear Sir :- Your favor of the 9th inst., with inclosures, has been received. I am glad to hear of your intention to establish a monthly magazine devoted to the Annals of the Army of Tennessee, etc., and I sincerely hope that it may meet with complete success, for the gallant deeds of that brave army are but imperfectly known outside of those who participated in its glorious deeds.
Your remarks relative to the battle of Shiloh are in the main correct ; but I did not think it advisable to continue the fight after 21/2 P.M. on the 7th of April, because I knew of the exhausted condition of my troops, and feared that the remaining two corps of Buell-which had not yet taken a part in the fight-might be thrown on my extreme left or right, and produce a panic in our thinned and exhausted ranks. Governor Harris and Colonel Jacob Thompson, volunteer Aids, urged then upon me the necessity of withdrawing from that glorious field. At about 2 o'clock, having completed all necessary arrangements, I ordered the offensive to be assumed on our whole front, to throw Grant back as far as possible, and enable us to retire unmolested- which occurred as you state.
My full report of Shiloh has not been published, for the official re- ports of my corps commanders never passed through my hands to the War Department. It was only just as I was about to leave Charleston that I received copies of a part of them, which were lost, with some of my other papers, in Georgia, in 1865. Those subordinate reports contain many errors, which I was thus unable to have corrected before being published.
The report that I wrote, a few days after the battle, was a short preliminary one, intended only to give the Confederate government a general idea of the fight. It was written without the assistance of a single sub-report ; hence, is not without some errors.
I was engaged last summer in preparing a full history of that great and bloody battle-one of the most remarkable and severest contests "of the late war-but have not had time to finish it. I hope to be able to take hold of it erelong; for I feel that great injustice has been done to that gallant "Army of the Mississippi," and to myself, by inconsid- erate or ignorant writers.
Please put my name down as one of your subscribers.
I remain, yours most truly, G. T. BEAUREGARD.
New Orleans, Feb. 25, 187S.
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THE ANNALS OF THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE.
Dr. E. L. Drake, Sec'y, etc., Fayetteville, Tenn .- Dear Sir :- I most cordially, and to the fullest extent, commend the noble enterprise you speak of, and which you and others are already taking steps to carry out. From some cause, this is the first intimation I had received of such an enterprise being on foot. Had I have known it sooner, you would have had a word of encouragement from me ere this; for it is a subject, I agree with your letter and circulars in saying, is of the most vital importance to the "survivors of the Army of Tennessee, and its friends," in that upon its success depends the placing ourselves, and those who gave their lives in the "Lost Cause," correctly before the country-the world-on the pages of history. I say "God-speed" to the noble enterprise ! I am willing to do any thing in my power to help advance the effort to a successful carrying out. I will endeavor to follow your suggestions in getting up any statistics, manuscripts,
Most respectfully, yours truly, B. P. STEELE. Shelbyville, Tenn., Feb. 11, 1878.
Col. Drake-Dear Sir :- Write me what you think should be done, and I will take great pleasure in giving you all possible aid, not only now, but at any future time. I see your heart is in this noble work, and it shall not be the fault of The American if you do not find many capable and willing helpers. Let me hear from you freely concerning your plans.
Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 6, 1878. Yours truly, HENRY HEISS.
Dr. E. L. Drake-Dear Sir :-- Your communication, with inclosed circulars, was received to-day, and I assure you I am very willing to give you all the aid I can in your enterprise to chronicle a full and fair account of the battles and incidents of the late war in the South and Respectfully, T. NIXON VAN DYKE. Athens, Tenn., Feb. 11, 1878.
Dr. E. L. Drake-Dear Sir :- Your favor was received some time ago, and I owe you an apology for not answering sooner. I have been very busy, and neglected your letter. To-day I procured all of our Democratic delegation to indorse the circular, which I hereby return. I will try to furnish you some items from the cavalry when I go home.
Yours truly, G. G. DIBRELI ..
House of Representatives, Washington, Feb. 28, 1878.
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ANNALS @ ARMY OF TENNESSEE EARLY WESTERN HISTORY.
VOL. I. { NASHVILLE, TENN., MAY, 1878. ¿ No. 2.
GOVERNOR HARRIS' LETTER.
[THE letter of Hon. Isham G. Harris to Governor Porter, on the subject of General Hood's failure to arrest the enemy's retreat on Franklin from Columbia, supplies an important link of historical information which has never before been made public, and relieves General Cheatham, who was harshly blamed at the time and since, from the responsibility for this untoward event. We believe it is conceded that if the enemy's retreat could have been intercepted on this occa- sion, most important results would have accrued to General Hood, and the bril- liant, but sad, story of Franklin would have had no place in Confederate history. Governor Harris' letter is silent as to the reason of Major Mason's failure to get General Hood's order to attack to General Cheatham, and we hope that the sub- ject will receive farther attention, which its importance certainly demands.]
Governor James D. Porter-Dear Sir :---
IN answer to yours of the 12th instant, I have to say that on the night that the Army of Tennessee, under command of General J. B. Hood, halted at Spring Hill, on its march from Columbia to Nash- ville, General Hood, his Adjutant-General, Major Mason, and myself occupied the same room at the residence of Captain Thompson, near the village. Late at night we were aroused by a private soldier, who reported to General Hood that, on reaching the camp near Spring Hill, he found himself within the Federal lines; that the troops were in great confusion, a part of them were marching in the direction of Franklin, others had turned toward Columbia, and that the road was blocked with baggage-wagons and gun-carriages, rendering it impossi- ble to move in order in either direction. Upon the receipt of this re- port, General Hood directed Major Mason to order General Cheatham to move down on the road immediately and attack the enemy. Gen- eral Hood and myself remained in bed. I went to sleep, and I sup-
VOL. I, NO. II .- I.
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1
pose that General Hood did the same. At day-light on the following morning we learned that the Federal army had left Spring Hill and was being concentrated at Franklin. .
On the march to Franklin, General Hood spoke to me, in the pres- ence of Major Mason, of the failure of General Cheatham to make the night attack at Spring Hill, and censured him in severe terms for his disobedience of orders. Soon after this, being alone with Major Mason, the latter remarked that "General Cheatham was not to blame about the matter last night. I did not send him the order." I asked if he had communicated the fact to General Hood. He answered that he had not. I replied that it is due to General Cheatham that this explanation should be made. Thereupon Major Mason joined General Hood and gave him the information. After- ward, General Hood said to me that he had done injustice to General Cheatham, and requested me to inform him that he held him blame- less for the failure at Spring Hill. And, on the day following the bat- tle of Franklin, I was informed by General Hood that he had ad- dressed a note to General Cheatham, assuring him that he did not censure or charge him with the failure to make the attack.
Very respectfully, ISHAM G. HARRIS.
Memphis, Tenn., May 20, 1877.
GENERAL CLEBURNE'S VIEWS ON SLAVERY.
[THE letter of Colonel A. S. Colyar, who was at that time a member of the Confederate Congress from Tennessee, to Colonel A. S. Marks, giving General Cleburne's views on the subject of slavery in 1864, places the mental endow- ments of this splendid soldier in a light which strongly adds to his otherwise bril- liant reputation. These views were discussed at the time in the army, but with bated breath, and never appeared in print before that we are aware of. Every line is prophecy, and has been fulfilled to the letter, so far as the present status of the negro as a freedman is concerned. The question of the effect of the abo- lition of slavery by the Confederate States on Foreign Powers is, of course, left to inference, as the policy was not adopted. General Cleburne, by his acquaint- ance with outside sentiment on this subject, was better qualified to form a just and correct opinion on the proposed measure than our own people, whose feel- ings and interests were more deeply involved. We hope, through the ANNALS, to give, from time to time, such sketches of this remarkable man as will give the world a proper estimate of his character and services. We will only mention now
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