The Gentlemen of Virginia - TL w/ comments

The Council of War

[FONT=&quot]September 19th, 1863 – Evening[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Lee’s Headquarters, Eastern Bank, Chickamauga Creek – Georgia[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]While riding back, Bragg continued. “So yes, General Lee, as I was saying, I would oh so much rather have you in command here than anyone else. Many of my subordinates have been……not properly subordinate at times in the past. Or competent, for that matter.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee thought for a moment. Word had passed through the grapevine of the many denunciations that occurred after the loss at Murfreesboro, some months ago. Best to play this carefully, Lee thought, to figure out who the good commander are. “Oh?” he asked non-committal-ly. “Like who, for example?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Well, for starters, General Leonidas Polk!” Bragg fumed. “A good-for-nothing, totally incompetent, ignores orders right and left. He botched up all of the attacks I had planned for after Rosecrans crossed the river. But he’s been just as malcontent ever since the Kentucky invasion. Also too cautious, in my opinion, even if every other quality of his was a good one, which they’re not. The only reason I think the General hasn’t been drummed out of the service, unceremoniously and with a good kick in the rear end, I may add, is because he and The President are good personal friends.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Well, so are you, or so I have heard[/FONT][FONT=&quot], Lee thought. But this was exactly the kind of thing he wanted to hear. He needed to know the relations between the Army of Tennessee’s commanders, to figure out what to do.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Or you take Major General Simon Bolivar Buckner, for instance.” Bragg continued, biting off ever word. This whole thing was a tirade he clearly needed to let out. “That no-good lout has been a thorn in my side since the war started. Ever since Shiloh, way back, didn’t get along at all. Botched up his assignment in Kentucky, did it again at Murfreesboro, and then he had the gall, the infernal gall, to claim that it was my fault we lost the battle. Appealed straight to Richmond, and so of course the powers that be go and reward him by giving him a corps and an independent command over by Knoxville, which of course he didn’t hold either.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee was paying careful attention to the specifics of Bragg’s tirade. His accusations against Buckner were more personal, less a matter of military competence, than those against Polk. And with that Lee determined that he had better get opinions from more than one person.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Of course, however bad a man may be does not affect the men serving under him. General Stewart is as fine a division commander as they come. General Walker has charge of the reserve corps, and he’s given me no trouble. But then, he’s new to command, and it’s a hastily thrown-together corps anyway. Likewise Brigadier General Johnson and his independent division. But at the divisional level, the only really dependable commander you have to look to is General Patrick Cleburne. Does what he’s ordered, no back-talking, and more often than not he actually succeeds. He has that fire in him, which is more than I can say about anybody else in this Army.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“What about General Daniel Hill?” Lee asked. This was one of the few commanders he knew personally, Hill having commanded one of his divisions earlier in 1862.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Bragg considered. “Hill’s alright, I guess. Hasn’t been in command of a corps that long. Ambitious, certainly. Some back-talking for sure. Irritable. But he’s not one of the major trouble-makers in this army. You’ve got to watch out for his other division commander – John Breckenridge. I made the unfortunate mistake, once, of insinuating that Kentuckians were something less than demi-Gods come on earth, and all of a sudden he turns on me. Refuses to attack when ordered, whines and complains all the time, writes letters to Richmond defaming me – half the time working right along with Polk, don’t mistake that – and in general just a crabby annoying man. Doesn’t lack for straight-up ability – if you can get him to attack in the first place, which half the time I can’t.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee by now was half amused and half worried. How was he supposed to weld this bunch of clashing personalities and part-time-incompetents into a working Army?[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Anyone else I should know about?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Hmm. Benjamin Cheatham drinks to excess, on many occasions, but if he’s not drunk then he’ll fight. Hindman’s okay, but he’s bridling under Polk’s command, so I really couldn’t say. Walker’s commanders……Gist and Liddell, that would be……I wouldn’t know too much about them. Just arrived from Mississippi recently. Haven’t had any real problems. Well – except that Liddell was in with Polk and Breckenridge and Buckner on the letter-writing campaign to Richmond after Murfreesboro, but……not an issue for you, anyway. Preston seems alright too, fought well enough today. The cavalry – oh the cavalry. All the commanders over there, they’re just blowing their own horns, singing of their great raids everywhere. In reality the worst scoundrels I’ve ever run across. No sense of proper etiquette………well – maybe they won’t offend you so much as they’ve offended me, on too many occasions. If you can get along with them, they’ll fight like the devil, and no mistake. Forrest especially.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“So I’ve heard,” commented Lee. This is going to be a difficult meeting.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]--------[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]By the time Lee and Bragg arrived at the headquarters tents Lee’s staff had been setting up, some of the Army of Tennessee’s Generals had begun to arrive. With one sideways glance Lee inquired if Bragg could make the introductions.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“General Lee, allow me to introduce you to some of my commanders. This is Lieutenant General Polk, commanding one of my corps. And General Hindman came along with him, his junior division commander. And…” Bragg peered into the darkness, “…General Cleburne. Technically commanding one of Hill’s divisions. What are you doing here at all, General? I thought your attack would be underway by now.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee looked distinctly uncomfortable. “Oh. My deepest apologies, General Bragg. I forgot to inform you earlier. I took the liberty of postponing all attacks for this evening. Given the darkness it seemed prudent. Plus I want time to discern the lay of the battlefield. I am sorry, General.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Cleburne broke in, his voice sounding nothing if not approving. “Don’t be troubling yourself, General.” His Irish accent was slight yet distinctive. “It was the right order. It took me most of an hour to get my brigades lined up properly, and if they had gone forward most of them would be crossing just about the only open field in these woods, where they’d be targets.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee had heard good things about General Cleburne even before Bragg confirmed them, so approval from him was most gratifying. Then Polk broke in: “Yes, General Lee, and as it turned out, not ten minutes had gone by after I halted the attack when the yankees got up and fell back.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“You don’t say!” Lee exclaimed. “Fell back how far?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“I have Cheatham commanding that part of the field in my absence, he’s sent scouts out. Preliminary reports say about half a mile, which was just as far as my attack was planned to push them anyway.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Pure dumb luck,” Bragg muttered angrily.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Yes, it was luck of a sort” Lee interjected. “Certainly a positive result, but also quite lucky. Certainly it saved the lives of many men who would otherwise lie dead on the field. On the other hand, at least they would have pushed those people back, had General Cleburne’s division gone forward – at least they would be dead in a successful attack. Small consolation.” Politicking had never been one of Lee’s strongest points, thought improvising here he was not doing too poorly.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“General Polk, would you mind stepping into my tent for a moment, and showing me on the map just what your position is?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Polk stepped forward. “Certainly, sir. I am at your convenience.” And they walked forward into Lee’s tent.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]By torchlight, Polk traced in the lines representing the positions of his men, and Cleburne’s, and the best approximation of the Federals’ positions. “As best as we can figure it, General Lee, the left wing of the Federal Army, opposing our right, has pulled back into a broad salient facing us. Ordinarily that would be good for us, but the Lafayette road spells out the base line of the salient, so they can shuttle troops anywhere they need to. And the whole line runs through woods. If they spend the night entrenching, and I see no reason why they shouldn’t, it will be a strong position come tomorrow.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee slowly nodded. “I see. Yes, that does look like a tough nut to crack. What of the approaches to their position – how easily can we flank them to our right?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Polk frowned. “I wouldn’t know much about that, General Lee, sir, seeing as all day today we’ve been pretty much attacking them frontally. Cheatham – that’s one of my division commanders – went in late morning, broke the first few brigades he came to, but then got disorganized and was hit by enemy reinforcements.” Polk paused, exhaled. “Sir, I don’t think today’s battle had anything much in the way of tactics involved, neither side knew the ground well at all, neither side was expecting the other. We were actually trying to flank them today, but as it turned out their flank went a few miles past where we thought. General, if you want to flank the yankees on the morrow, you’ll need someone else to tell you about the terrain.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee was disappointed. It was one of the corps commander’s jobs to know the ground he was fighting over. Even if finding out about the ground to one’s flank did not technically fulfill that description, it would still have been a welcome initiative.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee simply said, “Alright. I will wait until everybody arrives to look at the map in detail, then. Let me ask you a different question, if I may.” Polk waited expectantly. Lee asked, “What is your opinion in general of the conduct of the campaign up to this point?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Polk considered for a moment. “It’s been not everything it could be. Bragg tries, you know what I mean, General, he puts in effort, but none of his plans have ever been what you could call stellar. Several times in the past ten days he has given orders for an attack that would be against a superior force, entrenched, attacking over open ground. I have had to……carefully parse his orders in order to ensure the safety of my men. But no one else really minds.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee looked inquiringly. “They don’t?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Oh no, sir! In fact for much of the time, I’ve gotten their help to successfully diffuse an attack – General Walker, General Buckner – it’s been a group effort, trying to figure out exactly what Bragg’s plans are, and then how much of them can safely be done.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Well[/FONT][FONT=&quot], Lee thought. That’s a very different picture than what Bragg painted. I need corroboration from someone whose opinion I can trust. And that means only one person…[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]-----[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Conveniently, a moment later a call arose from outside the tent. “General Hill. General Breckenridge. Welcome! General Lee is just inside, and I’m sure he will be with you momentarily…”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee turned to Polk. “You’ll have to excuse me for a moment, General. If I’m to fill this map in, I must hear from everyone.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Of course, General” said Polk, very amiably, and walked out.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee poked his head out of the tent, and saw indeed that one of the people in the growing crowd was General Daniel Harvey Hill. “General Hill! Very good to see you again, General. Would you step inside for a moment with me, please?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Of course, General Lee,” Hill replied, slight curiosity in his voice, and walked in.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“I hear you’ve done great things since I left the Army of Northern Virginia,” said Hill, slight bitterness in his voice. Lee had recommended to President Davis to transfer Hill to a different theatre during the winter of 1863.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“First of all, all the praise goes to the valiant men under my command. But as for you personally, I felt that continuing to serve as a mere division commander would be stifling. General Rodes was competent and ready to prove himself at that level, but you, my good General, needed a wider field to prove your talents in. And now look – a Lieutenant General and in command of a corps.” There was some flattery in Lee’s words, but on the whole he was sincere. General Hill had been a fine commander. Lee simply failed to bring up again some of the personality conflicts that had also led to Hill’s transfer.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“And perhaps the best corps in this Army!” Hill put in. “Just wait until the fighting starts again tomorrow. I tell you, if old Stonewall could see General Cleburne and his men fighting, he would immediately ask for command of them. And General Breckenridge……what can I say, except that he wants to drive the yankees all the way back into, and then out of, Kentucky.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“I believe it. I look forward to the demonstration, General.” Hill beamed. “But for now, could you please help fill in this Army’s position on the map I have right here?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Hill peered over. “Well, none of my boys were actually engaged today, countermarching all over the place, so I don’t know many of the details. But what you have so far looks about right. The yankee right, opposing our left, is pretty much a straight line running right along the Lafayette road. So their whole position looks pretty much like a spoon, bowl part point towards us on our right.” He filled in as he spoke.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“I see,” said General Lee. “Any chance of flanking them from our left?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“I don’t think so, General. The Chickamauga Creek flows west as it goes south, so their right flank is all but anchored on it. We could send men around, but there are no good roads, and only a narrow area of fields at all. I’m not sure what it would accomplish.” But then his face brightened. “On the other hand, we damn well near broke through the center of their line at least twice today.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Really? Where?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“There are two fields right in front of their current line. Here, the Viniard Farm, and here, the Brotherton Farm. Well, earlier today the federal position was in front of those fields, and as we pushed them back into them their organization broke. We just about had them running – so Generals Stewart and Liddell tell me – but just as our attacks were running out of steam enemy reinforcements showed up. Still, we pushed them back farther there than against our right, which explains our current position. The whole battle today was just a confused melee, anyway, and you can’t really fault anyone for it. No one on either side was expecting a battle, and troops were coming in from all directions.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“I see,” Lee said again. “Alright. And now I must ask you an even more important question, General Hill. What is wrong with this Army? Why does it seem like everybody in high command refuse to cooperate with everybody else?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Hill was startled for a moment at Lee’s frankness, but answered the question as it was given. Slowly he spoke: “The Generals in this Army suffer two critical failures. Some of them, they are simply not good Generals. Not tactically, not strategically……just not good. Even if they can inspire their troops, which not all of them can. Some others, they feel the need to be right. They won’t accept criticism from anyone, and hold very strong and undeserved grudges. The problem with this Army is its two highest Generals. General Polk is a General of the first category, and General Bragg is one of the second. Many of the others have one of these flaws, but none cause as many problems.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Bragg is……a difficult man to get along with. He has brains, he can think of good plans. But he cannot get other people to agree that they are good plans. Deservedly or not, virtually all the other Generals in this Army tried to get rid of him. Polk was the ringleader, but everybody supported it. Even my division commanders – especially Breckenridge……but that’s not important. Polk led the charge because he was likeable, and has power in Richmond, just like Bragg does. That led to a very shaky command structure, but it worked in a manner at least until Bragg got hurt. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Once Polk actually had the command, everyone realized that he was an incompetent ass, likeable or not. He thought that some of the orders Bragg issued just a couple of weeks ago were wrong. I looked at the maps, General. Perhaps there was a better strategy to be drawn, but Bragg’s plans were alright. Polk reads his orders for five minutes, and then just sits there. And, by virtue of rank, he orders everyone else to sit there. Buckner became furious at not being allowed to do anything. Walker became furious at having his own orders superseded. I escaped the worst because my command was the reserve corps during the whole mess.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“So nobody will work with Bragg because he is an unlikeable bastard, and nobody will work with Polk because he is an incompetent bastard. All in all, I am damned happy to have you here in command, General Lee.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Now that was a rant of the first order,[/FONT][FONT=&quot] thought Lee. And yet it has all the earmarks of being true. “So, let me just pursue a line of thought for a moment, if I am given advice from General Bragg and General Polk, and their advice conflicts, you would have me trust General Bragg?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Nine time out of ten, at least, yes, General.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Alright.” Lee was silent for a long moment. Then he walked to the tent flaps and opened them. The crowd of Generals was larger than ever. “Come in, gentlemen, and let this council of war begin.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]---------[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]In attendance were General Lee and his aides, General Bragg and his attendants, General Hill and his division commanders Cleburne and Breckenridge, General Polk and his division commander Hindman (Cheatham was absent), General Buckner and his division commander Stewart (Preston was absent), General Walker and his division commander Liddell (Gist was absent), General Johnson commanding his independent division, and Generals Ewell and Rodes from the Army of Northern Virginia. Early was still riding forward with his men, now nearly at the battlefield. General Forrest was present and represented about half of the cavalry of the Army.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The first part of the meeting was spent filling in maps and going over the events of the day. Some division commanders tried to inflate their own importance, and so contradicted minor points in the presentation of other Generals, but the overall impression was that the day had been a minor success, though very bloody. As the grand map was filled in more, the original impression was confirmed.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Forrest confirmed that although the Federal left flank was refused, it was technically in the air. The yankee line fronted a large open field, one of the few on the battlefield, so any Confederate attack from that direction would be seen coming. Even a movement directly southward would run up against the Union line. If the Confederates went west far enough, though, they could get in the yankees’ rear.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Polk protested, claiming that the federals would see such a movement, and no matter how far they pushed their men westward the enemy could counter their movement. Bragg backed up Forrest (at which Forrest looked over at him in suspicion – the Bragg-Forrest relationship was one of the many in this Army that was not all it could have been), saying that if the movement was fast enough it would work. It certainly would beat attacking the Federal left flank head-on. Especially because it was commander by George Thomas, one of the few Union commanders who knew what he was doing.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]At the mention of Thomas Lee became emotional for a moment, caught in memories and introspection, and for yet another time wondering why Thomas had forsaken his native state.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Other Generals pointed out other parts of the Federal line that looked vulnerable, places that might be stormed by a frontal assault. Buckner said that a carefully done attack could turn the enemy’s right flank, if it was kept secret until close range. Walker disagreed, and called instead for a frontal attack on a narrow front, against the fields hugging the Lafayette Road. Ewell leaned towards Walker’s idea but claimed ignorance of the terrain. Johnson actually suggested retreating entirely and crossing the Chickamauga elsewhere, enabling a fight in a few days time on more open ground. No one seriously seconded his idea and the matter was dropped.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Hill mentioned some of the command difficulties experienced during the day, due both to the woods and to the unwieldy command structure. Bragg suggested a few reorganizations, including creating two large wings under Polk and Ewell, or three wings under Polk, Ewell, and Hill. At this Hill protested and asked for a comparison of his and Ewell’s dates of commission, but in fact Ewell was senior. Ewell demurred, again citing his lack of familiarity with the ground. But at that Buckner claimed that no one else had a better grasp of it, and there was general agreement to this statement.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The conversation kept coming back to one point. No matter where the Union line was breached, if all the Confederates accomplished was to push them back into Chattanooga, then not much had really been gained. The only way to avoid this was to push them southward. To do so they had to outflank the Union army on its left, but the terrain favored the defense, and General Thomas was a master of defense. As the council wore on, only Forrest and Bragg seriously believe that turning Thomas’ flank could be done. That had, after all, been Bragg’s original idea. Forrest, being mounted, could move quickly around the flank, but his force was not overly large. Hill was lukewarm about the idea, but most of the other Generals thought it couldn’t be done, Polk being the most vocal opponent, and everyone else lining up behind him.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Ultimately, the decision had to come from Lee. The council had lasted well over an hour, and Lee had been silent for most of it. He was pondering all of the information he had, thinking of the big picture, and trying to devise a great attack. If only he had Jackson to work with, or even Longstreet. He knew the type of thing he’d do then. But he didn’t. Instead he had Bragg and Polk, and Hill. And Cleburne……the one division commander everyone seemed to speak well of.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Well, surely I must stake this attack on someone. I think he’s the man[/FONT][FONT=&quot].[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]At last Lee came forward with his idea. “Gentlemen, I believe General Bragg is correct. We accomplish nothing if those people can just retreat into Chattanooga. The whole point of this campaign is to drive them out of that city, not back into it. They must not be merely defeated. They must be crushed. And that means we must push them to the south, away from the city.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee pointed to the map. “The attack will proceed in several stages, and include many diversions. We’ll start in the center. That will be General Polk. Most of the units of this Army are going to be moving at dawn. Some will move laterally – if you do, be sure to pull back and move behind the main line. Because others will go forward. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“General Polk, you will attack en echelon along your line, from right to left. General Cheatham’s division goes in first, from its current position. General Hindman keys off of General Cheatham. Do not be afraid of extending your line too much – this attack is primarily a diversion, do not throw away lives needlessly.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“General Ewell, you will take command of Rodes’ division, whatever elements of Early’s men have arrived in time – and I am also placing General Johnson’s division under your command. That will compensate you since your own third division under General Johnston has not arrived yet. You will arrange your command into a stronger formation, compressed if you so desire, using the fields if you want to, whatever works. Take the time, wait until mid-morning, and attack from right to left, keying off of General Hindman.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“I do not require that either of your attacks break through the Northern line. It would be great if they did. But they are primarily diversions. If either of your attacks does break through, you will then turn your attack to the left, rolling up the enemy line to the south.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“General Buckner, at dawn you will pull Stewart’s men out of line from the center and march them to the south, uniting them with Preston’s men. Preston will then try to sneak around the Union right flank into best possible attacking positions – but make sure you are solidly to the south of the Union line. Stewart will connect Preston with Ewell, and it is alright if his line is relatively thin, so long as Preston’s is both strong and far enough to the west. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Generals Polk and Ewell, if your attacks do break through the Union line, you will immediately send a messenger to General Buckner informing him of this. Immediately upon receipt of this message, and not a moment before that, General Buckner, you will order Preston forward. He will be the anvil against which Generals Polk and Ewell will strike.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“But all of this is just a grand diversion. If it works it will bag several thousand federal troops and be a glorious success. But the big attack will be from the north. At dawn, Generals Walker and Hill will pull their scattered elements out of the center of the line, pull them behind Polk’s attacking men, and unite their corps on our northern flank. Hill will hold the flank, Walker will be next in, connecting with Polk – but your line is to be a long one, so that Hill definitely extends far past the enemy’s left flank.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“General Forrest is to have his entire cavalry corps screen the movement and find out how far the Union line extends. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“At noon, Hill will move westward, Walker following. General Walker, it is permissible to have you line extended so long as it connects to Polk on the left and Hill on the right. General Hill, however, your corps will be in compact formation, Breckenridge on the left, and Cleburne the extreme right of this Army, except for General Forrest and the cavalry. Move westward very rapidly, and as soon as you are in position, attack with all your strength and vigor. I know George Thomas. He will have his line facing towards us strong well defended. The only way to defeat him is to outflank him. General Walker’s long line will allow you to get on his flank, but you, General Hill, are the one who must break him. I am relying on your men, and on your subordinate commanders.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]By this he meant General Cleburne, and everyone in the tent knew it.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Bragg turned to Lee. “That is just about the most complicated attacking plan I have ever seen, General. Almost certainly some part of it will go wrong and the whole thing will be a bloody mess.” He said this very cynically. But then his tone changed entirely, his voice lower, almost eager. “On the very slim chance that it does work, however……well, it’s going to be marvelous. The most complete victory of the war. We’re going to try this for its audacity if nothing else.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Cleburne said “My boys and I are going to turn that flank for you, General Lee, or I will not come back from the attempt.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Cheers, agreement, and encouragement rang out all through the tent.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The council of war ended soon after that.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lee bent his head in prayer. Look out, George. We are coming at you tomorrow.[/FONT]
 

Art

Monthly Donor
56,000! Christ! I must say, that's DAMN heavy... You'd think the bloody Confees would have figured out by 1862 that victory was a pipe dream...
 
Sometimes the most extreme ASB......is OTL

[FONT=&quot]September 20th, 1863 – Dawn-11:00[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thomas’ Headquarters, Kelly Field – Georgia[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]It was one of the strongest field positions Thomas had ever seen. True, not all of his division commanders had bothered to entrench, but those holding the more important positions had. The line ran through woods, in a broad arc around the Kelly field. The reserve, consisting of brigades from all 4 divisions, stood in the field itself, nice and central. Better yet, at the western end of the field ran the Lafayette Road, so the reserve could be shuttled easily from one side to the other. The right side of Thomas’ line neatly connected with that of the rest of the Army.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Everything was perfect. Except……just before dawn, a messenger arrived from General Baird, commanding Thomas’ left-most division, and one of the few divisions actually of the XIVth corps.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot](The divisions had become greatly intermingled during the previous day’s fight. So at the moment, Thomas commanded Baird’s and Reynolds’ divisions, of his own corps, Johnson’s division of McCook’s corps, and Palmer’s division of Crittenden’s corps. Brannan, of Thomas’ corps, was supposedly Thomas’ reserve – so said Rosecrans at the meeting last night – but he was nowhere to be seen. Thomas’ last division, under Negley, was in line somewhere to the right, under McCook’s command.)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Baird said that his line did not extend far enough to the west. It did not protect the Lafayette road, so was not a sufficient guard against an attack from the north. Baird could extend a skirmish line for the moment, but he needed more men to have a proper line facing northward.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Damn[/FONT][FONT=&quot], Thomas had thought. The far left was the one spot the enemy must not break through. If the rebels turned his flank they would cut the Army off from Chattanooga and their supplies. Thomas had made that point abundantly clear during last night’s conference.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]It had not been a light-hearted affair. Prisoners picked up during the 19th came from East Tennessee, Mississippi, the coast, and disturbingly from Virginia. Clearly, whoever was in command over in the Confederate camp had been hugely reinforced. As Rosecrans had put it, “It is possible that not every available man has come together to oppose us, and we are facing only elements of different enemy armies. If, however, their reinforcements have been at the largest scale possible, well then, gentlemen, the Army in our front must number well over 100,000 men.” Thomas had done the calculation for himself, and did not come far short of that number.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Most deeply troubling, however, had been the reports from some of the prisoners from Virginia. They were from Ewell’s corps, Army of Northern Virginia, and they said with the greatest confidence and haughtiness that General Lee himself had come west to command this amalgamation of armies. Several intelligence reports had hinted at this for the past couple of weeks, but not all of them could be credited, and plenty of other reports contradicted them. Now, however, there seemed to be no denying it.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]General Robert E. Lee, perhaps the best commander the southerners had, was opposing the Army of the Cumberland, and he outnumbered them, perhaps by a large margin.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Therefore, the meeting had concerned itself entirely with defensive measures. Thomas was well holed up, as usual. The rest of the Army had withdrawn a bit from its position of the 19th, and now ran in a straight line, fronting, where possible, fields. These positions were not overly strong, but it could only be an improvement, to be able to see the attacking enemy.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Furthermore, Rosecrans had agreed with Thomas at the meeting. He said that whatever support Thomas needed would be provided. Now we’ll just have to see if he carries through, Thomas thought.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]He immediately sent a courier to Rosecrans, telling him of the weakness of his far left, and asking that Negley be sent to him. Thomas requested Negley in particular so that he could have his whole command back together.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]A little after 8:00, a single brigade marched north into the Kelly field. It was Beatty’s brigade, one of Negley’s three. It seemed that Negley was withdrawing out of line to go support Thomas, but the division that was meant to take his place came exceedingly slowly. Rosecrans refused to leave a hole in the line, so sent only Negley’s reserve brigade. The other were to join Thomas, but only after the reserve filled the hole. Judging from how angry Rosecrans was, said Beatty, that would not be any time soon.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Damn[/FONT][FONT=&quot], thought Thomas again. Making the best of a bad situation, he sent Beatty to extend the flank. Hopefully his men would be enough for the time being.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]A final check of his line – Thomas rode the length of his arcing line – everything seemed to be in good order. Except, when he returned, he saw that Beatty had marched too far north! Now there was a huge gap between his brigade and Baird’s left-flank unit (King’s brigade of regulars). And it was too late to correct now, for the sounds of musketry began to pick up. The battle had resumed.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]-----[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]But, not against the far left?[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The first place the firing picked up was against Johnson’s division. His was second from the left, but Baird and Beatty remained unopposed, save by pickets and skirmishers. Soon Palmer’s division, to Johnson’s right, became engulfed as well, and not long after that firing continued to spread southward to include Reynolds’ men.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Thomas was surprised and suspicious. Why was the enemy not trying to outflank him? If Lee really was in command over there – Thomas knew his quality, have served under his command for several years in Texas – then surely he would discern Thomas’ flank as the possible weak spot. But, apparently, such was not the case.[/FONT] He recalled Beatty's men as quickly as possible, and got his northward-facing line in order. But it seemed in no immediate danger.

[FONT=&quot]A frontal assault, Thomas could deal with. Parts of his line were entrenched, and parts were not. There were a few small breakthroughs, but nothing critical. Thomas plugged the few trouble spots with elements of his reserve. But even though he was holding for now, the situation looked serious. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]It became apparent that the Confederates attacking his line were Polk’s corps. Cheatham’s division faced off against Johnson and Palmer – the three had tangled earlier yesterday, with no clear winner. Today the Union men were having the better of the fight, when all was said and done. Reynolds reported that Hindman’s division was attacking him, but he was holding as well.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Thomas sent of couriers in every direction asking for support. One inquired about the position of Negley’s men, and found that they were finally coming along, but very slowly. A second was sent to Rosecrans, informing him of the frontal attack and asking for any support that might be readily available. Yet another was sent to find General Brannan – supposedly in reserve perhaps a mile to the west.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]What the courier found was that Brannan and his men were actually in the battle line, to the right of Reynolds, and connecting with the rest of the Army. Furthermore, they were engulfed in Hindman’s attack. After consulting with Brannan and Reynolds, Brannan sent his own reserve brigade, under Van Derveer, to the left, but remained in line.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]As the morning wore on, it became increasingly apparent that Thomas could hold his line against any frontal attack. A second of Negley’s brigades, under Colonel Stanley, arrived and was sent to the far left as well. Only the third, under Sirwell, had yet to arrive, but by now Thomas believed that his left could hold for the time being – if it was ever attacked.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The center of the Kelley field line looked like it could hold as well, but the Confederates just kept attacking. Polk’s corps was clearly taking heavy casualties, but they reformed and came again and again. Van Derveer’s brigade arrived, without Thomas being aware of it, and joined the reserve in the Kelly field itself. Still, the original courier did not return. So at 10:15, Thomas sent yet another aide, Captain Kellogg, to find and get Brannan, finally.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]-----[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Kellogg arrived to find the front line of Confederates retiring from Brannan’s front. He told Brannan the order, for the second time, and Brannan, as he had before, rode over to Reynolds for advice. Reynolds’ front, too, was temporarily void of rebels. Clearly their lines were still out there, but for the moment there was no attack.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Brannan said, “I am again ordered to the left with my command. Do you think you can maintain your position without me? Kellogg is here and says the call is urgent.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The first time Brannan had asked this, Reynolds said firmly that Brannan could not go, as both of them were then heavily engaged. By now, thought, all was quiet. “Well, perhaps Thomas needs you more than I do, and I believe I can hold my own here. So go along and good luck to you.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Brannan rode off to supervise his redeployment, and Kellogg stepped forward. “Thank you, General. You see, Brannan was not supposed to have been in the battle line in the first place, but in general reserve for Thomas. Originally I expected to find him nearer the Dyer farm, a mile to the west.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“I understand, Captain. It’s okay. Brannan came forward on his own initiative, to fill a gap that had existed on my right. I agreed with the move wholeheartedly, though.” Then Reynolds frowned and unburdened himself. “My right flank was in the air during all of the fighting yesterday. I do believe I can maintain myself in this current position after Brannan has left. Still, I would ask a favor of you, and say to the people up there, meaning of course General Thomas or General Rosecrans, that my right flank will now be entirely exposed. And although I do feel fairly confident about my position, if they have any troops lying around loose anywhere and would be kind enough to send them my way, I will welcome them and probably be able to give them a job. Frankly, I do not have the least idea of the actual condition of affairs ‘up there’, and am quite glad, being busy enough as it is.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Kellogg agreed to pass on this message, and left. As he did so, Reynolds looked to his right, and noticed that Brannan was taking his own sweet time about leaving. Reynolds was a bit relieved, but then paid Brannan no more notice, pondering simply how best to cover the hole once he did leave. Probably have to extend a brigade that way, plus refusing the flank. There’s a nice swale over there I could use……[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Brannan, meanwhile, was having second thoughts of his own. If he pulled out of line, he would leave a nice, big, division-sized hole. The rebels had already attacked him strongly earlier today, and it didn’t look like they were going anywhere. If they came again, and found a hole, they would plunge right through, and cut this Army in half. That seemed like a very bad idea. The end result was that Brannan resolved to remain in line until and unless someone came to relieve him.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Captain Kellogg, however, knew nothing of this, as he was already en route to Rosecrans’ headquarters.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]---------[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]He reached headquarters shortly after 10:30. Rosecrans was there, as was General Crittenden. There were a few other couriers and messengers ahead of him, and Rosecrans was listening to them all. The atmosphere was heavy and serious, but not particularly gloomy. Rosecrans’ aide, Major James Garfield, was sitting in the corner, writing orders. The rest of Rosecrans’ staff was standing about, waiting to be ordered to do something.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Kellogg’s turn came, and when he spoke he was excited and anxious to finish his mission quickly. “Thomas is heavily pressed. He’s being attacked very strongly in front, and is using his reserves liberally. Thomas has requested Brannan, who was supposed to be one of his reserves anyway, but somehow got into the line. Right now he is already moving out of line to comply, leaving Reynolds’ right flank exposed. Can Thomas have Brannan?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Rosecrans’ reply came swiftly and definitively. “Tell General Thomas our line is closing towards him and to hold his ground at all hazards, and I will reinforce him with the entire army if necessary. General Brannan is to obey General Thomas’ orders.” Then his tone grew softer. “It’s odd. Thomas is the only one the enemy is pressing strongly. I’m getting word from all of the rest of the line. Skirmishing is heavy, but if Lee is really over there, then he hasn’t made a major attack yet.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Rosecrans looked around the room. Major Garfield was still writing orders. In fact, he was writing orders for Van Cleve’s division, from the reserve, to go to Thomas in compliance with his earlier request directly to Rosecrans.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Seeing him occupied, Rosecrans turned instead to Major Frank Bond. Bond was in charge of the Army’s ciphers, among other things, and dependable, although he was not in the habit of writing orders. Still, he was next in rank and seniority. “If Brannan goes out, Wood must fill his place. Write him that the commanding general directs him to close to the left on Reynolds and support him.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Bond wrote rapidly:[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Headquarters Department of the Cumberland[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]September 20 – 10:45 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Brigadier-General Wood, Commanding Division:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] The general commanding directs that you close up on Reynolds as fast as possible, and support him.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Respectfully, etc.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Frank S. Bond, Major and Aide-de-Camp[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Rosecrans did not look at the order, but passed it off rapidly to Lieutenant Colonel Starling, one of Crittenden’s aides. Crittenden did not look at it, even though Wood was one of his divisions, because he heard the verbal request. Starling rode off rapidly.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]-------[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]He, in turn, found Wood standing beside a tree behind one of his brigades. General McCook was also present – currently he commanded the right, consisting of two of his own divisions plus Wood’s.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]It was 11:00. Starling handed Wood the orders. As Wood read, Starling explained. “Brannan’s division is pulling out of line to go support Thomas. So there is a gap between your own division and Reynolds’. To keep the line intact…”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Wood interrupted him. “General Brannan is in position. There is no vacancy between General Reynolds’ division and my own.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Starling was surprised, but his answer was obvious. “Then there is no order.” Headquarters must hear about this.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]There the matter should have ended. And with anyone but General Tom Wood, it most likely would have. Wood’s was a prickly disposition, and he easily took offense. But in the past few days the offenses against him were real. Originally there was the disagreement between himself and Generals Crittenden and Rosecrans, way back when they were marching into Chattanooga.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]More recently, like 90 minutes ago, had come a totally humiliating dressing-down by Rosecrans in person, in front of his entire staff. Wood’s was the division called upon from the reserve to fill the initial hole left when Negley was taken out of line to go support Thomas. The orders Wood received, clearly unintentionally modified via Crittenden, were to stop on a ridge a few hundred yards behind Negley’s line. Wood did exactly this, following his orders to the letter. Rosecrans came, and yelled at him for not taking Negley’s place in the line – furious that Wood had not obeyed orders inasmuch as following Rosecrans’ intent. What he said, however, was limited to yelling at Wood for failing to obey orders promptly.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Anger filled Wood’s head. If Rosecrans wants orders obeyed promptly, then I shall do just so.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“No, Colonel Starling. The order is quite imperative, and I will move at once.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Starling stared, dumbfounded. “Couldn’t you wait just ten minutes while I relay the situation to General Rosecrans?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“No, I intend to move. Brannan is indeed in place, but that affects nothing. This order clearly means for me to pull out of line, move to the left behind the battle line, reach Reynolds, and then support him.” Putting the orders in his pocket notebook, Wood continued, “I am glad the order is in writing, as it is a good thing to have for future reference.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Starling rushed off to headquarters to inform Rosecrans of Wood’s plan. Wood turned to McCook. “General, would you be so kind as to fill the gap in the line that will result when I pull out? I intend to do so immediately.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Well, Wood, I can and surely will try, but you must know that I don’t have a full division of my own in reserve, and anything less than that will not fully fill the…”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Do it. And thank you, General.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Wood rode off, informed his three brigade commanders, and minutes later his entire force had pulled out of line and was marching northward along a farm trail paralleling and just a few hundred yards to the west of the Lafayette road. McCook clearly did not have the men to cover for Wood’s withdrawal. Where his men had been opened up a division-sized hole, fronting the Brotherton field.[/FONT]
 
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