God has granted us a happy New Year
From the editor: The casualty count for the week is horrendous; 24,645 killed, wounded, or missing at Stone's River, Tennessee, and 1,893 mostly Union killed and wounded at Chickasaw Bluff, Mississippi. Combined with the actions at Parker's Cross-Roads, Tennessee, Galveston, Texas, Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Dumfries, Virginia, and Van Buren, Arkansas, this burst of violence marks the end of the first full year of civil war, and ushers in a new year that promises to be even more blood filled than the last. However, overshadowing these events is President Lincoln's signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on New Year's Day. This carefully crafted document promises to free all the slaves in Southern held territory, while maintaining the status quo in areas controlled by Union forces. Criticized by Radical Republicans as too timid, and by Northern Democrats as too extreme, Lincoln is walking a fine tightrope as he attempts to change the tenor of the war. The butcher's bill is too high for a war being fought only to save the Union. This war, if it is to be won, must promise to redress all the wrongs wrought by a century of institutionalized slavery. From this day forward, all battles fought on Southern soil will be fought to make men free.
December 28 1862 (Sunday)
After completing a ten-mile journey up the Yazoo River, still well short of the torpedo infested part of the river, ‘Cump’ Sherman’s Expeditionary Force debarks at Johnson's Farm. Despite the name, Johnson's is little more than a plowed piece of land in the midst of boggy woods. The Union position is bounded by the Old River Bayou on the right and the Chickasaw Bayou on the left. To reach the Yazoo City Road, Sherman must cross the old riverbed of the Yazoo and attack fortified Confederate positions on the overlooking Walnut Hills. To make matters worse, Vicksburg commander Martin Luther Smith has been reinforced by 6,000 additional soldiers. Meanwhile, in Memphis, Tennessee, a disappointed John McClernand arrives only to find that “his” men had departed ten days ago under Sherman.
MEMPHIS, TENN., December 28, 1862.
Maj. Gen. U.S. GRANT, Commanding, &c., Holly Springs: I avail myself of the first moment to communicate the accompanying papers. No. 1 is the order to the Secretary of War recognizing the Mississippi expedition and assigning me to the command of it.... This order, while giving to me the immediate command of the expedition, makes it a part of your general command.... General [Stephen A. Hurlbut, District of Memphis,] informs me that General Sherman left Helena last Tuesday.... I have much that I would like to communicate to you. Much valuable information could be obtained by you at once here respecting the operations of your command.... I shall anxiously watch events upon the river until I hear from you. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JOHN A. McCLERNAND, Major-General.
In the aftermath of the defeat at Prairie Grove, much of Thomas C. Hindman’s force has melted away through mass desertions and straggling. Hindman blames “unprecedented hardships” and “the non-payment of the troops” for his predicament. His anxiety is increased when Union cavalry attack Van Buren, Arkansas, and destroy all the supplies of corn and bacon gathered to protect his army from starvation. Union commander Francis J. Herron exults: "We bearded the tricky rebel, General Hindman in his den.... It is a good joke on Hindman…. We claim the whole country to the Arkansas River."
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE FRONTIER, Van Buren, Ark., December 28, 1862.
Maj. Gen. SAMUEL R. CURTIS [Department of the Missouri]: The Stars and Stripes now wave in triumph over Van Buren.... At 10 o'clock this morning my advance came upon two regiments of rebel cavalry at Dripping Springs.... Dashing upon them with 3,000 cavalry..., a brisk running fight took place, which was kept up into the town, resulting in the capture of all their transportation...; four steamers and the ferry-boat were also captured…. Quite a number of the enemy have been killed during the day's operation.
J.G. BLUNT, [First Division] Brigadier-General.
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. Secretary of War Stanton reacts to President Davis' proclamation threatening Benjamin Butler with “capital punishment,” by stopping any further “exchange of commissioned officers until further instructions."
2. Ambrose Burnside reports that the Occoquan River crossings at “Dumfries, Wolf Run Shoals, Fairfax Station, and Fairfax Court-House” are “all secured by strong guards.”
3. Colonel William A. Phillips reports he has taken and burned Fort Davis, and expects to “disarm or bring over the whole Creek Nation.”
4. Colonel John Scott, commanding at New Madrid, Missouri, receives orders to “destroy [all] public property and remove the detachment to Fort Pillow.”
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. Braxton Bragg decides to make a stand near Murfreesborough and sends out Joseph Wheeler's Cavalry Brigade to harass and delay the Union advance.
2. John H. Morgan's Kentucky Cavalry continues destroying bridges and trestles along the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. He reports: "Stockades, trestles, and a quantity of army stores were destroyed."
3. P.G.T. Beauregard reorganizes his command structure. Roswell Ripley, Johnson Hagood, William S. Walker, and James Trapier are to command military districts in South Carolina, Hugh Mercer is to command the District of Georgia, Joseph Finegan the District of East Florida, and Howell Cobb the District of Middle Florida.
4. Franklin Gardner takes command at Port Hudson, Louisiana.
December 29 1862 (Monday)
From his position near Chickasaw Bayou, William T. Sherman laments that “not one word” has been heard from Ulysses S. Grant, “who was supposed to be pushing south, or from General [Nathaniel Banks], supposed to be ascending the Mississippi.” However, with “time being everything,” Sherman presses forward. Surviving what he calls a "misidentification of objectives," and an almost continuous "counter-marching of columns," Sherman gives the order to assault the fortified Walnut Hills. Examining his lines, Sherman is reassured by division commander George W. Morgan: "General, in ten minutes after you give the signal I'll be on those hills." While the army makes "a show of attack along the whole front," *Colonel John F. De Courcy's Sixteenth Ohio advances across a sand bar on the right, and Frank P. Blair, Jr. pushes his brigade across a sand bar a mile away on the left. Once across, they are hit by “savage artillery crossfire” and the men who survive are forced to cling to the base of the bluff, and "scoop out burrows" in the hillside in a vain attempt to seek cover from the devastating fire from above.
Report of Col. John F. De Courcy, Sixteenth Ohio lnfantry, commanding Third Brigade
SIR: At ten minutes before 12 o'clock the order to advance was given and the Twenty-second and Forty-second Regiments found themselves immediately engaged under a hot fire.... [The] attack...began in splendid style, and nearly accomplished their object, notwithstanding the immense and fearfully-destructive fire which poured in from front, left, right, and even rear.... In a short time...the bayou was passed over, and the head of the column emerged on the open ground.... The brave men...nearly crossed the large open space of more than half a mile which lay stretched out before them in glacis fashion, when the enemy increased his fire of small arms and grape to such a degree as to render further advance impossible.... Yours respectfully,
JOHN F. DE COURCY, Colonel, Commanding Third Brigade.
*Editor’s Note: Before the war, British born John F. De Courcy was an ensign in the 47th Lancashire Regiment of Foot and a veteran of the Crimean War. In 1859, De Courcy was the British magistrate for the San Juan Islands during what has been described as the Pig War.
Realizing that his loss has been "pretty heavy," and that his army has accomplished "nothing,” while inflicting “little loss on our enemy," Sherman puts an end to the disastrous attack. The Confederate fire is so hot however, that the men cannot be recalled until after dark, and then only "one at a time."
Report of Maj. Gen. Martin L. Smith, C.S. Army, commanding forces in front of Vicksburg.
COLONEL: The arrival of three brigades...added greatly to our strength and confidence. These troops were moved promptly forward and by daylight were in position.... The assaulting force--estimated at 6,000---moved from their concealed position in the woods, advanced rapidly on an open space of say 400 yards, and made a determined attack upon...[the] entrenched position. Taken in flank by the artillery and met in front by a withering sheet of musketry fire, the enemy struggled up to within a short distance of our line, when he wavered, stopped, and soon fled in irretrievable panic and confusion, strewing the ground with his dead and wounded.... Five different times did they attempt to storm...[the] most advanced work, each time repulsed with loss, and from daylight until sunset the troops were under as severe a fire of musketry and artillery as it was practicable for an enemy almost enveloping them to pour into the work.... I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
M.L. SMITH, Major-General, Commanding.
Casualties at Chickasaw Bayou, Mississippi:
U.S.: 1,776 (208 killed, 1,005 wounded, 563 missing)
C.S. 207 (63 killed, 134 wounded, 10 missing)
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. President Lincoln disavows U.S. Grant's notorious order expelling all Jews from the Department of the Tennessee, saying he cannot uphold an order that "proscribed a whole class, some of whom are fighting in our ranks."
2. Morgan L. Smith, commanding the Second Division in Sherman’s Expeditionary Force, is wounded in the fighting at Chickasaw Bluffs, Mississippi.
3. Colonel John M. Harlan, Tenth Kentucky, reports that he engaged John H. Morgan’s cavalry crossing Beech Fork near Elizabethtown. “Many had to swim; many fled up the river to Boston Ford, beyond pursuit.”
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. Theophilus Holmes continues to resist sending reinforcements across the Mississippi River to Vicksburg. He writes, “It seems very certain that any force I can now send from here would…be useless.”
2. John H. Morgan sends Colonel David W. Chenault’s, 11th Kentucky Cavalry, to capture and burn the stockade at Boston, Kentucky. Meanwhile, Colonel William C.P. Breckinridge’s Ninth Kentucky Cavalry unsuccessfully attacks the stockade at New Haven.
December 30 1862 (Tuesday)
Outside of Murfreesborough, in the stillness of the night, the military bands from both sides begin playing. Because of the close proximity of the lines, the music becomes an informal contest. "Yankee Doodle" is answered by "Dixie," until the Union bandsmen begin playing "Home Sweet Home." Immediately a Confederate band joins in, then one after another, until all the bands of each army are playing it. While the music plays, Generals Rosecrans and Bragg issue orders for the following day. By an incredible coincidence, both generals settle upon the same strategy; forces on the left will concentrate for a slashing flank attack, in a grand left wheel pinning the opposing army against the rising Stone's River. In ‘Old Rosy's’ army “[Thomas L. Crittenden's Left Wing], will cross the river and take Murfreesborough, and attack any force...that falls in front of him." Rosecrans explains the plan to Alexander McD. McCook, his Ring Wing commander, who is charged with holding the Rebels at bay on his front: "You know the ground; you have fought over it; you know its difficulties. Can you hold your...position for three hours?" The general responds: "Yes, I think I can." Across the lines, Braxton Bragg reports: “Artillery firing at intervals and heavy skirmishing of light troops all day…. Armies are in line of battle within sight.” Unbeknownst to McCook, Bragg's main assault force is poised to attack his lines at dawn.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF TENNESSEE, Murfreesborough, December 30, 1862--1.50 pm.
[Major-General Jones M. Withers, Second Division, Polk’s Corps]: The general commanding directs that a vigorous assault be made by our left on the right of the enemy tomorrow morning as early as it is light enough to see. Your right will remain stationary, and be the pivot on which the movement will be made. Your left will swing around and correspond with the movement of General [John P. McCown's division] on your left. In making this movement, the general desires that your attack shall be vigorous and persistent. In so doing, keep up the touch of elbows to the right, in order that the line may be unbroken.... Very respectfully,
GEORGE WM. BRENT, Assistant Adjutant-General.
Despite the horrible pounding his army has absorbed, ‘Cump’ Sherman stalls for time before deciding if he will launch another attack against the heavily fortified Confederate position. He orders: "All but the pickets and supports will retire..., stack arms and rest.... Men may make fires in hollows 500 yards back of the picket lines." Struggling to find an alternate plan, Sherman seeks the advice of Admiral David D. Porter, commanding the Mississippi Squadron.
CAMP, December 30, 1862.
Admiral DAVID D. PORTER: After a close personal reconnaissance..., I am satisfied to cross the bayou through the narrow paths and abatis will be fatal to a large proportion of my command.... I think there must be a point of disembarkation for troops this side of Haines' bluff, from which that battery could be stormed without the exposure that marks all the crossing places here. If you concur, and permit all the ironclads to ascend and engage the battery, I will order 10,000 of my best troops to embark by night...and proceed to attack that battery by assault.... Unless Grant be near at hand, I cannot promise success in a direct assault on Vicksburg.... I am, &c,
W.T. SHERMAN, Major-General, Commanding.
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. Samuel P. Carter’s expedition into East Tennessee reaches Blountsville. He reports, “We...took possession of the place, captured some 30 soldiers...and paroled them.”
2. In Baltimore, Maryland, Robert C. Schenck reports that J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry has “slipped the Army of the Potomac” and crossed the Potomac River at Harrison’s Island.
3. Colonel Edward Hatch’s cavalry captures Oxford, Mississippi. They encounter “about 60 rebel cavalry,” but fail to “find out anything about [the] enemy.”
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. Secretary of War James Seddon warns that he has “reasons” to believe that Nathaniel Banks’ “fleet is intended to operate in the Gulf” and “attack Mobile.”
2. Joe Johnston asks the War Department to appoint additional brigadier-generals. He writes, “Brigades are now commanded by incompetent officers.”
3. Joseph Wheeler leads four cavalry brigades on a raid around the advancing Army of the Cumberland. In La Vergne, Tennessee, he destroys “immense trains and stores, amounting to many hundred thousands of dollars.”
December 31 1862 (New Years Eve)
The three brigades commanded by Jeremiah C. Sullivan, commanding the District of Jackson, have been chasing Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry raiders for the past week with little success. At Parker's Cross-Roads, Tennessee, Forrest encounters one of Sullivan's brigades and launches an attack. The "raw...and imperfectly drilled" Union troops quickly break. Sullivan reports: "Some officer came down...and gave an order..., ‘Rally to the rear.' The regiment...mistook the command for an order to retreat and commenced breaking to the rear." With white flags fluttering, Forrest is caught off guard by a sudden attack by the rest of Sullivan's force. Quickly regaining composure, Forrest issues orders to, "Charge both ways!" Finding his command "exposed to fire from both front and rear," Forrest is "compelled to withdraw." Sullivan reports: “We have achieved a glorious victory. We met Forrest, 7,000 strong. After a contest of four hours, completely routed him with great slaughter.”
Report of Brig. Gen. Nathan B. Forrest, C.S. Army, commanding Expedition.
GENERAL: I... dismounted a portion of my cavalry to support my artillery and attack in front while I could flank them on each side.... We drove them through the woods with great slaughter and several white flags were raised in various portions of the woods and the killed and wounded were strewn over the ground. Thirty minutes more would have given us the day, when to my surprise and astonishment a fire was opened on us in our rear and the enemy in heavy force under General Sullivan advanced on us.... I could not believe that they were Federals until I rode up myself into their lines.... I am, general, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,
N.B. FORREST, Brigadier-General, Commanding Brigade.
At Murfreesborough, William Rosecrans’ attack is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m., giving his men time to cook and eat breakfast. Dispensing with such amenities, Braxton Bragg's men attack at dawn. The assault succeeds in driving in the Union outposts with “an overwhelming force of infantry." Division commander John P. McCown reports: “The enemy made several attempts to rally, but failed, being closely pressed by my men, their defeat becoming almost a rout.” In the Union Right Wing, Richard W. Johnson’s division is swept away, and Jefferson C. Davis’s division is also forced to retreat by the onrushing gray tide. The Confederates then run up against the men of Philip H. Sheridan’s Third Division. Unlike most of his compatriots, Sheridan had his men "assembled under arms at 4 o'clock.” His men are also aided by huge outcroppings of limestone and cedar thickets that are so dense they obscure the sunlight. The initial Rebel attacks are rebuffed until Patrick Cleburne's division joins the assault. He reports: "I pressed on, continuing the difficult wheel under fire.... The left of... [the] line stretched through a cedar brake.... In many parts...the enemy found natural breastworks of limestone rock."
Report of Brig. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, U.S. Army, Commanding Third Division.
MAJOR: The enemy...continued to advance until they had reached nearly the edge of the timber.... For a short time they withstood the fire, wavered, then broke and ran.... At this time the enemy...made an attack on the extreme right of our wing...and the two divisions on my right were retiring in great confusion, closely followed by the enemy, completely turning my position and exposing my line to a fire from the rear.... In this position I was immediately attacked, when one of the bitterest and most sanguinary contests of the day occurred.... Heavy masses of the enemy, with three batteries of artillery, advanced over the open ground.... The contest then became terrible. The enemy made three attacks, and were three times repulsed.... There was no sign of faltering with the men, the only cry being for more ammunition, which unfortunately could not be supplied.... I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
P.H. SHERIDAN, Brigadier-General, Commanding.
Sheridan conducts a textbook fighting withdrawal until a lack of ammunition forces him to retreat to the Nashville Pike, buying time for William Rosecrans to organize a new defensive line. The Union attack is canceled and three divisions from the Left Wing are sent to reinforce the frazzled Right Wing. George H. Thomas, commanding the Union Center, an island of calm in a sea of confusion, patches together a new defensive line anchored by a small grove on a patch of rocky ground called the Round Forest. Thomas assigns Colonel William B. Hazen, 41st Ohio, to defend what quickly becomes known as ‘Hell's Half-Acre.’ Hazen reports: “As the position I held could not be given up…, [I] gave orders to...fix...bayonets and to...hold the ground at all hazards.” Repeated attacks fail to dislodge the stubborn defenders, and Braxton Bragg sends word to John C. Breckinridge to cross the river and reinforce the attack. Despite some initial confusion, two additional brigades are "moved by flank toward the ford." Upon reaching the field, Leonidas Polk directs them "to advance across the plain," and they men are thrown forward against the Round Forest in the "most daring, courageous, and best executed attack" of the day. Aided by thunderous artillery support, the final charge is repulsed and, after eleven hours of fierce fighting, both sides give in to exhaustion. The former vice-president reports: “It was deemed reckless to attack with the force present. Night was now approaching.... The troops bivouacked in position."
Report of Brig. Gen. William Preston, C S Army, commanding. Third Brigade.
COLONEL: The brigade advanced rapidly and steadily under a destructive fire from the artillery.... The two central regiments found great difficulty in pressing through the ruins and strong inclosures of the farm-house, and, retarded by these obstacles and by a fire from the enemy's sharpshooters in front, and a very fierce cannonade, partially enfilading their lines, were for a moment thrown into confusion at the verge of the wood. They halted and commenced firing, but, being urged forward, they responded with loud shouts and gained the cedars. The enemy turned upon the wood a heavy fire from many pieces of artillery, across a field 400 or 500 yards distant, and, though we lost some valuable lives, the brigade maintained its position with firmness in the edge of the wood. I remain, colonel, with great respect, your obedient servant,
W. PRESTON, Brigadier-General.
Casualties at Parker’s Cross-Roads, Tennessee:
U.S.: 237 (27 killed, 140 wounded, 70 missing)
C.S.: 500 (killed/wounded/missing)
General Officer Fatalities on December 31, 1862:
Rains, James Edward, 1833-1862. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Rains graduated from Yale University Law School and was an attorney prior to the war. He enlisted as a private in the 11th Tennessee, but within a month was elected colonel of the regiment. His men occupied the Cumberland Gap in late 1861, and he led a brigade during the invasion of Kentucky in 1862. He was promoted to brigadier-general on November 4th, and was killed by a musket ball while leading a charge against a Union battery on the left of the line at Murfreesborough, Tennessee.
Sill, Joshua Woodrow, 1831-1862. Born in Chillicothe, Ohio, Sill graduated from West Point in 1853 and served as an ordnance officer in various arsenals and as an instructor at West Point until he resigned his commission to become a professor at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in New York. He returned to Ohio when the Civil War began and served as assistant state adjutant-general. He became colonel of the 33rd Ohio in August 1861 and was stationed in northern Alabama and eastern Tennessee as a brigade commander. In July 1862, he was promoted a brigadier-general and given command of a division in the Army of the Ohio. When the Army of the Ohio was reorganized into the Army of the Cumberland, Sill was given a brigade, serving under former classmate Philip H. Sheridan. He was wearing Sheridan's coat when he was killed while ordering a counter-attack during the first Confederate assault at Stone’s River.
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. Before “giving an order,” August Willich is captured near Stone’s River when his horse is shot from under him.
2. Division commanders Thomas J. Wood, First Division and Horatio P. Van Cleve, are wounded during the fighting at Stone’s River, Tennessee, but remain with their commands.
3. In Memphis, John McClernand charters the steamer Tigress and heads downriver to take command of Sherman’s Expedition.
4. ‘Cump’ Sherman orders Frederick Steele's division to embark on transports for an attack on Haines' Bluff, further up the Yazoo River.
5. Ambrose Burnside, Army of the Potomac, testifies on behalf of Fitz-John Porter, U.S., in his ongoing court martial.
6. The U.S.S. Monitor founders in heavy seas off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and sinks. Forty-seven officers and men of the crew are saved by the U.S.S. Rhode Island; sixteen sailors are lost at sea.
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. Daniel W. Adams, freshly recovered from severe injuries suffered at Shiloh, is wounded by a shell fragment and again forced from the field. James R. Chalmers is knocked senseless by a shell fragment and taken from the field at Murfreesborough.
2. Near Chickasaw Bayou, Carter L. Stevenson replaces the wounded Martin L. Smith as commander of Vicksburg. At 11 a.m., Stevenson receives a request for a “suspension of hostilities for four hours” to bury the dead.
4. John S. Marmaduke leads 2,470 men to Yellville, Arkansas, in preparation for an expedition into Missouri. Included are the cavalry brigades of Colonel Joseph O. Shelby, Colonel Joseph C. Porter, and MacDonald’s Cavalry Battalion.
January 01 1863 (New Year's Day)
Earlier in the week Colonel Isaac S. Burrell landed a small occupying force in Galveston. However, with few men available, Burrell can only control the city during the day. At night, he is “obliged to draw in the pickets to the wharf.” Taking advantage of the situation, John B. Magruder launches a combined land and sea attack, utilizing two cotton-clad steamers and his newly trained "marine cavalry." Leading the “center assault in person,” Magruder runs into trouble when his scaling ladders are found be too short. With Colonel Burrell's men barricaded inside their quarters, the newly upgraded cotton-clads join the attack.
Report of Maj. Gen. J. Bankhead Magruder, C.S. Army, commanding District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
SIR: After an obstinate contest the infantry were directed to cover themselves and fire from the buildings nearest this wharf.... But at this moment...our gunboats came dashing down the harbor and engaged the Harriet Lane, which was the nearest of the enemy's ships, in the most gallant style, running into her, one on each side, and pouring on her deck a deadly fire of rifles and shotguns.... Commodore [Major Leon Smith] leaped to the deck of the hostile ship, and after a moment of feeble resistance she was ours.... Commodore Smith then sent a flag to [Commodore [William B. Renshaw, U.S.N.] …demanding the surrender of the whole fleet…. We thus captured one fine steamship, two barks, and one schooner. We ran ashore the flag-ship of the commodore, drove off two war steamers, and sunk another…and took 300 or 400 prisoners.... I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. BANKHEAD MAGRUDER, Major-general, Commanding.
For the past several days Ambrose Burnside has ordered his men to "be held in readiness to move on twelve hours’ notice." Fearing that ‘Old Burn’ planned another crossing of the Rappahannock River, William B. Franklin approves short-term passes for two of his generals, John Newton and former congressman John Cochrane. Together they plan to take a tale of near mutiny in the army in hopes of derailing the planned movement. Instead they discover that Congress is in recess. As an alternative, they take their story directly to Secretary of State William H. Seward. Seward takes the two generals directly to President Lincoln, who listens to their pleas that if the Army of the Potomac is committed to another battle it would be an "utter disaster." Even though he is dismayed at the disloyalty shown by Newton and Cochrane, Lincoln sends an urgent message to their army commander: "You must not make a general movement without first letting me know of it." Burnside is called to the War Department for a conference with the President, and, after listening to Burnside's description of the condition of his army, Lincoln orders Henry Halleck to make a personal visit to Falmouth to form “a judgment of your own." Lincoln tells Halleck, "Your military skill is useless to me if you do not do this." Halleck, unwilling to accept this enormous responsibility, defers and asks to be relieved of command. Lincoln withdraws the order, noting that it was "considered too harsh." Burnside, disheartened by the lack of support shown to him by the President, and furious with the "traitors" operating within his army, pens his own resignation request.
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 1, 1863.
HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am convinced...that the army ought to make another movement..., but I am not sustained in this by a single grand division commander in my command.... Doubtless this difference of opinion between my general officers and myself results from a lack of confidence in me. In this case it is highly necessary that this army should be commanded by some other officer, to whom I will most cheerfully give way.... In the struggle now going on... the interests of no one man are worth the value of a grain of sand, and no one should be allowed to stand in the way of accomplishing the greatest amount of public good.... It is my belief that I ought to retire to private life.... I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
A.E. BURNSIDE, Major-General, Commanding Army of the Potomac.
Casualties at Galveston, Texas:
U.S. 388 (8 killed, 10 wounded, 370 captured)
C.S. 136 (26 killed, 110 wounded)
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. After attending an obligatory White House reception, President Lincoln retires to his upstairs office for the day's most important business--the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. As he dips his pen, and prepares to sign, he looks up and says, "I never in my life felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do signing this paper."
2. William Rosecrans conducts a "careful examination" of the battlefield and decides to remain in his present position and "await the enemy's attack."
3. Frederick Steele reports that “the fog is too heavy” to undertake the “attack on [Haines] bluff.”
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. Hearing reports that "Federal trains [are] in motion…back to Nashville," Braxton Bragg is confident that he has secured a battlefield victory. He reports, “The enemy has yielded his strong position and is failing back. We occupy whole field and shall follow him.”
2. In Knoxville, Tennessee, E. Kirby Smith reports that “a large cavalry force...has passed through Southern Kentucky,” and seized the railroad and burned the bridges between Jonesborough and Bristol.”
January 02 1863 (Friday)
After waiting an entire day, Braxton Bragg comes to the grim conclusion that William Rosecrans' army has no intention of retreating. To make matters worse, the Union advance onto the hill east of Stone's River threatens the right flank of his army. Accordingly, Bragg orders John C. Breckinridge to retake the hill, in preparation for another attack on the main Union line. The assault is to be made less than an hour before sundown, hopefully giving the Federals, in the words of Bragg, "no time to reorganize or bring up reinforcements before dark." However, to the former Vice-president, the hill looks impregnable.
Report of General Braxton Bragg, C.S. Army, commanding Army of Tennessee.
SIR: Reconnaissances by several staff officers soon developed the fact that a division had quietly crossed unopposed and established themselves on and under cover of an eminence...from which Lieutenant-General Polk's line was both commanded and enfiladed. The dislodgment of this force or the withdrawal of Polk's line was an evident necessity.... Orders were accordingly given for the concentration of the whole of Major-General Breckinridge's division in front of the position to be taken.... He was informed of the forces placed at his disposal, and instructed with them to drive the enemy back..., intrench his artillery, and hold the position.... General Breckinridge at 3.30 pm reported he would advance at 4 o'clock.... I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
BRAXTON BRAGG, General, Commanding.
Much to his surprise, Breckinridge's initial assault is successful. He reports: "The contest was short and severe; the enemy was driven back, and the eminence gained." The men in Colonel Samuel Beatty's Third Ohio are thrown back, "overpowered by numbers,” and Beatty is “compelled to retire.” He reports: “Attempts were made to rally the men..., but it was impossible." The victorious Confederates press on to the Stone’s River, and a few men “in their ardor” actually cross over, until they are hit by the combined fire of fifty-eight Union artillery pieces stationed on the hill overlooking the river. The double-shotted Federal cannon fire more than one hundred rounds a minute against the flank of Breckinridge’s attacking division. The Rebel infantrymen "reeling and broken," quickly change front and retreat back to their original position. The attack lasts just seventy minutes, before Breckinridge sees his men come reeling back through the twilight. With tears in his eyes, Breckinridge exclaims, "My poor orphans! My poor orphans!"
Report of Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge, C.S. Army, commanding First Division.
We were compelled to fall back.... It now appeared that the ground we had won was commanded by the enemy's batteries, within easy range, on better ground, upon the other side of the river. I know not how many guns he had. He had enough to sweep the whole position from the front, the left, and the right, and to render it wholly untenable by our force present of artillery and infantry.... Respectfully, your obedient servant,
JOHN C. BRECKINRIDGE, Major-General, Commanding.
Casualties at Stone's River, Tennessee:
U.S.: 12,906 (1,677 killed, 7,543 wounded, 3,686 missing)
C.S.: 11,739 (1,294 killed, 7,945 wounded, 2,500 missing)
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. The Emancipation Proclamation is published and informal celebrations are held throughout Union occupied territory in North and South Carolina. By one estimation, 30,000 former slaves were immediately set free by the document
2. Grenville Dodge, District of Corinth, reports that “Forrest has escaped across the [Tennessee] river.”
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. In Vicksburg, John C. Pemberton reports that “the enemy, finding all his efforts unavailing,” has “re-embarked” and “gone down” the Yazoo River leaving behind “a considerable quantity of intrenching tools and other property.”
2. Crossing to safety at Clifton, Tennessee, Nathan Bedford Forrest makes his camp at Mount Pleasant, Tennessee. In all, his men have destroyed $3 million worth of Federal installations, captured 10,000 rifles, and nearly one million badly needed cartridges.
3. After crossing the Cumberland River near Burksville, John H. Morgan’s second Kentucky raid is also coming to a successful conclusion. Losing only two men killed and twenty-four wounded, Morgan has taken 1,887 prisoners and destroyed approximately $2 million worth of Federal property.
January 03 1863 (Saturday)
‘Cump’ Sherman's attempt to advance down the Yazoo River and take the battery at Haines' Bluff is thwarted by fog as thick as pea soup. When the fog is followed by heavy rain, Sherman is forced to call off the entire operation. Seeing "no good reason for remaining in so unenviable a position any longer," Sherman re-embarks his soldiers and heads back to Milliken's Bend. The dejected, Sherman is consoled by Admiral Porter. After telling the admiral that "those infernal reporters” will publish “ridiculous stories” about his being whipped,” Porter responds, "Pshaw.... that’s nothing; simply an episode of the war. You'll lose 17,000 before the war is over and think nothing of it.... Steward! Bring us punch."
HDQRS. RIGHT WING, ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE, Camp, Milliken's Bend, La., January 3, 1863
Col. JOHN A. RAWLINS, Assistant Adjutant-General to General Grant: I was forced to the conclusion that it was not only prudent but proper that I should move my command to some other point.... My mind had settled down on this point when...I learned from Admiral Porter that General McClernand had arrived at the mouth of the Yazoo.... I attribute our failure to the strength of the enemy's position, both natural and artificial, and not to his superior fighting; but as we must all in the future have ample opportunities to test this quality it is foolish to discuss it.... I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,
W.T. SHERMAN, Major-General, Commanding.
Braxton Bragg is awakened at 2 a.m., and given a letter written by two of his division commanders and endorsed by Bishop Leonidas Polk. "We deem it our duty to say to you frankly that…this army should be promptly put in retreat." Although Bragg is determined to maintain his “position at every hazard,” he is persuaded to retreat after captured documents indicating the strength of the Union army to be 70,000 are brought to his attention. At 10 a.m., Bragg issues orders for a retrograde motion. He explains: "Common prudence and the safety of my army, upon which even the safety of our cause depended, left no doubt on my mind as to the necessity of my withdrawal from so unequal a contest."
Report of General Braxton Bragg, C. S. Army, commanding Army of Tennessee.
SIR: On Saturday morning...our forces had been in line of battle for five days and nights, with but little rest, having no reserves; their baggage and tents had been loaded and the wagons were 4 miles off; their provisions, if cooked at all, were most imperfectly prepared, with scanty means; the weather had been severe from cold and almost constant rain, and we had no change of clothing, and in many places could not have fires. The necessary consequence was great exhaustion of officers and men.... During the whole of this day…the rapid rise in Stone's River indicated it would soon be unfordable.... The only question with me was, whether the movement should be made at once or delayed for twenty-four hours, to save a few more of our wounded. As it was probable we should lose by exhaustion as many as we should remove of the wounded, my inclination to remain was yielded. The whole force, except the cavalry, was put in motion at 11 pm, and the army retired in perfect order.... I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
BRAXTON BRAGG, General, Commanding.
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. The U.S. Congress passes an Act to “facilitate the discharge of disabled soldiers from the Army and the inspection of convalescent camps and hospitals.” Eight medical inspectors are to be added charged with “the duty of making regular and frequent inspections of all military general hospitals and convalescent camps.”
2. The military Department of the East is created. Departmental headquarters are to be in New York City, and the commander is to be seventy-three year old John E. Wool.
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. The C.S.S. Retribution, a commerce raiding schooner, chases two merchant ships back into the harbor at Havana, Cuba.