.jpg)
The tension radiating out of Romney has come to a head. The petition signed by the officers of the Army of the Northwest, and endorsed by General Loring, has made its way to the desk of Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin and President Jefferson Davis. Impatient for results, Colonel Taliaferro has obtained leave and has journeyed to Richmond with the intention of persuading the government to recall the Army of the Northwest to Winchester. Davis, alarmed at the possibility of Loring’s command being surrounded, directs Benjamin to order the troops out. Benjamin sends a short, terse order to Jackson:
“Our news indicates that a movement is being made to cut off General Loring's command. Order him back to Winchester immediately.”
Jackson is astounded to receive this order, but he complies, ordering the Army of the Northwest to return to Winchester. Outraged that all the gains made by his campaign have been negated, Jackson sends a carefully worded letter to Benjamin:
HEADQUARTERS VALLEY DISTRICT,
Winchester, Va., January 31, 1862.
Honorable J. P. BENJAMIN, Secretary of War:
SIR: Your order requiring me to direct General Loring to return with his command to Winchester immediately has been received and promptly complied with.
With such interference in my command I cannot expect to be of much service in the field, and accordingly respectfully request to be ordered to report for duty to the superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, as has been done in the case of other professors. Should this application not be granted, I respect fully request that the President will accept my resignation from the Army.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
T. J. JACKSON,
Major-General, P. A. C. S.
Jackson's superior officer, General Joseph E. Johnston, is taken aback by Jackson's request:
HEADQUARTERS,
Centreville, February 7, 1862,
Respectfully forwarded, with great regret. I don't know how the loss of this officer can be supplied. General officers are much wanted in this department.
J. E. JOHNSTON,
General.
The Confederacy is in danger of losing one of its heroes.
Showing posts with label William B. Taliaferro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label William B. Taliaferro. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Winter Of Our Discontent
The officers and men quartered in Romney feel forsaken by their commander, General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. They are convinced that he has pulled the Stonewall Brigade - his "pets" - back into nice, warm winter quarters in Winchester, while leaving the Army of the Northwest to make out as best they can in the exposed position at Romney. The discontent comes to a boil as several officers meet to draft a letter to General Loring. This so-called "Romney Petition" is signed by the various brigade and regimental officers. As Colonel Ramsey and Lt. Colonel Thompson of the First Georgia are both absent in sickbeds, Major James W. Anderson signs the petition as commanding officer of the First.
JANUARY 25, 1862.
Brigadier-General LORING,
Commanding Army of the Northwest:
GENERAL: The undersigned officers of your command beg leave to present their condition to your consideration as it exists at Romney. It is unnecessary to detail to you,who participated in it all, the service performed by the Army of the Northwest during the last eight months. The unwritten (it will never be truly written) history of that remarkable campaign would show, if truly portrayed, a degree of severity, of hardship, of toil, of exposure and suffering that finds no parallel in the prosecution of the present war, if indeed it is equaled in any war. And the alacrity and good-will with which the men of your command bore all this hardship, exposure, and deprivation would by death and disease, the remainder were about preparing quarters to shield them from the storms of winter in a rigorous climate. Many had prepared comparatively comfortable quarters, when they were called upon to march to Winchester and join the force under General Jackson. This they did about the 1st of December, with the same alacrity which had characterized their former conduct, making a march of some 140 miles at that inclement season of the year.
After reaching Winchester, as expected, was ordered in the direction of the enemy, when all cheerfully obeyed the order, with the confident expectation that so soon as the object of the expedition was attamed they would be marched to some comfortable position, where they could enjoy a short respite and recruit wasted energies for the spring campaign.
The terrible exposure and suffering on this expedition can never be known to those who did not participate in it. When men pass night after night in the coldest period of a cold climate without tents, blankets, or even an ax to cut wood with, and without food twenty-four hours, and with some of the men nearly two days at a time, and attended by toilsome marches, it is not to be thought strange that some regiments which left Winchester with nearly 600 men should now, short as the time has been, report less than 200 men for duty.
Instead of finding, as expected, a little repose during midwinter, we are ordered to remain at this place. Our position at and near Romney is one of the most disagreeable and unfavorable that could well be imagined. We can only get an encampment upon the worst of wet, spouty land, much of which when it rains is naught but one sea of water and a consequent corresponding depth of mud, and this, too, without the advantage of sufficient wood, the men having to drag that indispensable article down from high up on the mountain side.
We are within a few miles of the enemy and of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which imposes upon our men the continued hardship of very heavy picket duty, which will in a short time tell terribly upon their health and strength. We regard Romney as a place difficult to hold, and of no strategical importance after it is held. Besides, the country around it for some distance has already been by the enemy exhausted of its supplies. Your army could be maintained much more comfortably, and at much less expense, and with every military advantage, at almost any other place.
Another consideration we would endeavor to impress upon your mind: All must be profoundly impressed with the paramount importance of raising an army for the next summer's campaign. When we left Winchester, a very large proportion of your army, with the benefit of a short furlough, would have enlisted for the war, but now, with the present prospect before them, we doubt if one single man would re-enlist. But if they are yet removed to a position where their spirits could be revived, many, we think, will go for the war.
In view of all these considerations and many others that might be presented, we ask that you present the condition of your command to the War Department, and earnestly ask that it may be ordered to some more favorable position.
Respectfully,
WM. B. TALIAFERRO,
Colonel, Commanding Fourth Brigade Northwestern Army.
SAML. V. FULKERSON,
Colonel, Thirty-Seventh Virginia Volunteers.
VAN H. MANNING,
Major, Commanding Third Arkansas Volunteers.
J. W. ANDERSON,
Major, Commanding First Georgia Regiment.
A. V. SCOTT,
Captain, Commanding Twenty-Third Virginia Volunteers.
JESSE S. BURKS,
Colonel, Commanding Third Brigade Northwestern Army.
D. A. LANGHORNE,
Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding Forty-Second Virginia Volunteers.
P. B. ADAMS,
Major, Forty-Second Virginia Volunteers.
J. Y. JONES,
Captain, Commanding First Battalion P. A. C. S.
R. H. CUNNINGHAM, JR.,
Captain, Commanding Twenty-First Virginia Volunteers.
JOHN A. CAMPBELL,
Colonel, Commanding Forty-Eighth Virginia Volunteers.
JANUARY 25, 1862.
Brigadier-General LORING,
Commanding Army of the Northwest:
GENERAL: The undersigned officers of your command beg leave to present their condition to your consideration as it exists at Romney. It is unnecessary to detail to you,who participated in it all, the service performed by the Army of the Northwest during the last eight months. The unwritten (it will never be truly written) history of that remarkable campaign would show, if truly portrayed, a degree of severity, of hardship, of toil, of exposure and suffering that finds no parallel in the prosecution of the present war, if indeed it is equaled in any war. And the alacrity and good-will with which the men of your command bore all this hardship, exposure, and deprivation would by death and disease, the remainder were about preparing quarters to shield them from the storms of winter in a rigorous climate. Many had prepared comparatively comfortable quarters, when they were called upon to march to Winchester and join the force under General Jackson. This they did about the 1st of December, with the same alacrity which had characterized their former conduct, making a march of some 140 miles at that inclement season of the year.
After reaching Winchester, as expected, was ordered in the direction of the enemy, when all cheerfully obeyed the order, with the confident expectation that so soon as the object of the expedition was attamed they would be marched to some comfortable position, where they could enjoy a short respite and recruit wasted energies for the spring campaign.
The terrible exposure and suffering on this expedition can never be known to those who did not participate in it. When men pass night after night in the coldest period of a cold climate without tents, blankets, or even an ax to cut wood with, and without food twenty-four hours, and with some of the men nearly two days at a time, and attended by toilsome marches, it is not to be thought strange that some regiments which left Winchester with nearly 600 men should now, short as the time has been, report less than 200 men for duty.
Instead of finding, as expected, a little repose during midwinter, we are ordered to remain at this place. Our position at and near Romney is one of the most disagreeable and unfavorable that could well be imagined. We can only get an encampment upon the worst of wet, spouty land, much of which when it rains is naught but one sea of water and a consequent corresponding depth of mud, and this, too, without the advantage of sufficient wood, the men having to drag that indispensable article down from high up on the mountain side.
We are within a few miles of the enemy and of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which imposes upon our men the continued hardship of very heavy picket duty, which will in a short time tell terribly upon their health and strength. We regard Romney as a place difficult to hold, and of no strategical importance after it is held. Besides, the country around it for some distance has already been by the enemy exhausted of its supplies. Your army could be maintained much more comfortably, and at much less expense, and with every military advantage, at almost any other place.
Another consideration we would endeavor to impress upon your mind: All must be profoundly impressed with the paramount importance of raising an army for the next summer's campaign. When we left Winchester, a very large proportion of your army, with the benefit of a short furlough, would have enlisted for the war, but now, with the present prospect before them, we doubt if one single man would re-enlist. But if they are yet removed to a position where their spirits could be revived, many, we think, will go for the war.
In view of all these considerations and many others that might be presented, we ask that you present the condition of your command to the War Department, and earnestly ask that it may be ordered to some more favorable position.
Respectfully,
WM. B. TALIAFERRO,
Colonel, Commanding Fourth Brigade Northwestern Army.
SAML. V. FULKERSON,
Colonel, Thirty-Seventh Virginia Volunteers.
VAN H. MANNING,
Major, Commanding Third Arkansas Volunteers.
J. W. ANDERSON,
Major, Commanding First Georgia Regiment.
A. V. SCOTT,
Captain, Commanding Twenty-Third Virginia Volunteers.
JESSE S. BURKS,
Colonel, Commanding Third Brigade Northwestern Army.
D. A. LANGHORNE,
Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding Forty-Second Virginia Volunteers.
P. B. ADAMS,
Major, Forty-Second Virginia Volunteers.
J. Y. JONES,
Captain, Commanding First Battalion P. A. C. S.
R. H. CUNNINGHAM, JR.,
Captain, Commanding Twenty-First Virginia Volunteers.
JOHN A. CAMPBELL,
Colonel, Commanding Forty-Eighth Virginia Volunteers.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
A Change of Plans
Romney has been occupied by Confederate forces, and "Stonewall" has the prize he has long coveted, but he remains dissatisfied. Looking north toward the Potomac River, he sees an immense supply depot at Cumberland, Maryland, which he decides can be taken with quick action. Jackson plans to send the Stonewall Brigade, along with Colonel Taliaferro's Fifth Brigade of the Army of the Northwest, on a fast march from Romney toward Cumberland to destroy the railroad bridge and capture the supplies. These plans fall through, however, due to the exhaustion of the troops. Many of Jackson's and Taliaferro's regiments are down to a shadow of their former strength due to sickness, with a flood of ill soldiers overwhelming facilities in Winchester. That, coupled with near mutinous sentiment in the Army of the Northwest, forces Jackson to cancel his advance. He advises the Confederate Secretary of War, Judah P. Benjamin, that he is making arrangements for putting the army into winter quarters:
HEADQUARTERS VALLEY DISTRICT,
Romney, January 20, 1862,
Honorable J. P. BENJAMIN, Secretary of War:
SIR: Though the enemy have retreated to the Potomac, yet they continue in possession of the frontier of this district from 7 miles below Cumberland to the Alleghany. On the 1st of this month there was not a single loyal citizen of Morgan County who in my opinion could with safety remain at home, and the same may be said respecting the most valuable portion of Hampshire County. A kind Providence has restored to us the entire county of Morgan and nearly the entire county of Hampshire, but so long as the enemy hold possession of the railroad bridge 5 miles below Cumberland and the two railroad bridges above Cumberland they can make dangerous inroads upon us.
On last Friday night I designed moving rapidly with my old brigade and one of General Loring's, for the purpose of destroying one of the railroad bridges across the North Branch of the Potomac west of Cumberland and thus cut off their supplies from the west, and consequently force them to reduce their army in front of me; but as General Loring's leading brigade, commanded by Colonel Taliaferro, was not in a condition to move, the enterprise had to be abandoned. Since leaving Winchester, on the 1st instant, the troops have suffered greatly, and General Loring has not a single brigade in a condition for active operations, though in a few days I except they will be much improved, and will, if placed in winter quarters, be able to hold this important portion of the valley, but these quarters should be well selected and the positions strengthened, and hence the great importance of having a good engineer officer. It will not do for me to remain here much longer, lest General Banks should cross the Potomac. Consequently in a few days I expect to leave this place, taking with me Garnett's brigade. I have written to General Johnston that, unless otherwise directed, General Loring's command will go into winter quarters in the South Branch Valley, General Carson's at Bath, General Meem's at Martinsburg, and Garnett's at Winchester. The cavalry will be distributed at various points along the northern frontier. General Bogg's brigade, which principally belongs to the South Branch Valley, will be distributed over the section of country to which it belongs.
It is very desirable that the troops should go into winter quarters as soon as possible, so I trust that you will send me the best engineer officer you can, though it be for only ten days.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
T. J. JACKSON,
Major-General, P. A. C. S., Commanding
HEADQUARTERS VALLEY DISTRICT,
Romney, January 20, 1862,
Honorable J. P. BENJAMIN, Secretary of War:
SIR: Though the enemy have retreated to the Potomac, yet they continue in possession of the frontier of this district from 7 miles below Cumberland to the Alleghany. On the 1st of this month there was not a single loyal citizen of Morgan County who in my opinion could with safety remain at home, and the same may be said respecting the most valuable portion of Hampshire County. A kind Providence has restored to us the entire county of Morgan and nearly the entire county of Hampshire, but so long as the enemy hold possession of the railroad bridge 5 miles below Cumberland and the two railroad bridges above Cumberland they can make dangerous inroads upon us.
On last Friday night I designed moving rapidly with my old brigade and one of General Loring's, for the purpose of destroying one of the railroad bridges across the North Branch of the Potomac west of Cumberland and thus cut off their supplies from the west, and consequently force them to reduce their army in front of me; but as General Loring's leading brigade, commanded by Colonel Taliaferro, was not in a condition to move, the enterprise had to be abandoned. Since leaving Winchester, on the 1st instant, the troops have suffered greatly, and General Loring has not a single brigade in a condition for active operations, though in a few days I except they will be much improved, and will, if placed in winter quarters, be able to hold this important portion of the valley, but these quarters should be well selected and the positions strengthened, and hence the great importance of having a good engineer officer. It will not do for me to remain here much longer, lest General Banks should cross the Potomac. Consequently in a few days I expect to leave this place, taking with me Garnett's brigade. I have written to General Johnston that, unless otherwise directed, General Loring's command will go into winter quarters in the South Branch Valley, General Carson's at Bath, General Meem's at Martinsburg, and Garnett's at Winchester. The cavalry will be distributed at various points along the northern frontier. General Bogg's brigade, which principally belongs to the South Branch Valley, will be distributed over the section of country to which it belongs.
It is very desirable that the troops should go into winter quarters as soon as possible, so I trust that you will send me the best engineer officer you can, though it be for only ten days.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
T. J. JACKSON,
Major-General, P. A. C. S., Commanding
Sunday, January 8, 2012
January 8, 1862
Colonel Taliaferro’s Fifth Brigade (including the First Georgia) staggers into the small crossroads known as Unger’s Store, with the rest of Jackson’s Valley Army coming in over the next two days. Jackson sends out orders to have the troops bathe and for horses to be rough-shod. Hundreds of sick men are sent on to Winchester, where they quickly overwhelm the hospitals. Scores of ill soldiers are billeted in private homes.
Monday, January 2, 2012
January 2, 1862
Late in the day, General Loring orders his troops to halt in order to build fires and cook rations. Shortly thereafter, a courier arrives from Jackson bearing orders to continue the march. Loring explodes. “By God, sir,” he roars, “this is the damnedest outrage ever perpetrated in the annals of history, keeping my men out here in the cold without food!”
Nonetheless, Loring gives the order to resume the march. As his regiments labor to move through the snowdrifts, they come upon swampy terrain, becoming badly intermingled as they struggle through the marsh. Finally reaching the far side, the exhausted troops are compelled to halt, falling out along the roadside where they had stopped. Private Lavender Ray of the Newnan Guards was one of those overcome with fatigue. “At last Capt. Wilkins Co. B swore that his men should go no farther and the other Capts. determined to stop also. So we were ordered to fall out on the roadside and build fires which we did. And here we remained all night in the cold without a blanket or anything to eat. Virginians, Georgians, Tennesseans were all mixed up around fires made of trash and pieces of dead wood as had no ax to cut with.” The head of Jackson’s column had covered only eight miles, reaching the crossroads known as Unger’s Store.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
January 1, 1862
As the New Year dawns, Major General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson begins his drive to take the strategic town of Romney, in western (now West) Virginia. Jackson believes that if he can drive out or capture the Federal garrison there, he will have a springboard to launch raids against the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and possibly return Western Virginia to Confederate control.
Early on the morning of January 1, Jackson’s small army begins its march from Winchester, Virginia. His forces include his own vaunted Stonewall Brigade, as well as three brigades from the Army of the Northwest, commanded by Brigadier General William W. Loring. Loring’s Fifth Brigade, led by Colonel William B. Taliaferro, consists of the Third Arkansas, Twenty-Third Virginia, Twenty-Seventh Virginia, and Ramsey’s First Georgia.
Led off by the Stonewall Brigade, Jackson’s troops start out early on an unusually warm winter morning. The air is clear, and the temperature soon rises into the 50’s. Quickly becoming overheated in the mild temperatures, many of the soldiers discard their winter coats by piling them in wagons or simply tossing them alongside the road. By early afternoon, clouds laden with snow and ice are scudding overhead, and the temperatures plunge below freezing. As frozen precipitation coats the men’s clothing and equipment, the column struggles along. The wagons are now far in the rear, leaving the soldiers unable to retrieve their coats. By that evening, the column reaches the small community of Pughtown, barely eight miles from their starting point.
 |
| "Stonewall" Jackson |
Early on the morning of January 1, Jackson’s small army begins its march from Winchester, Virginia. His forces include his own vaunted Stonewall Brigade, as well as three brigades from the Army of the Northwest, commanded by Brigadier General William W. Loring. Loring’s Fifth Brigade, led by Colonel William B. Taliaferro, consists of the Third Arkansas, Twenty-Third Virginia, Twenty-Seventh Virginia, and Ramsey’s First Georgia.
Led off by the Stonewall Brigade, Jackson’s troops start out early on an unusually warm winter morning. The air is clear, and the temperature soon rises into the 50’s. Quickly becoming overheated in the mild temperatures, many of the soldiers discard their winter coats by piling them in wagons or simply tossing them alongside the road. By early afternoon, clouds laden with snow and ice are scudding overhead, and the temperatures plunge below freezing. As frozen precipitation coats the men’s clothing and equipment, the column struggles along. The wagons are now far in the rear, leaving the soldiers unable to retrieve their coats. By that evening, the column reaches the small community of Pughtown, barely eight miles from their starting point.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Troops Have Arrived
In December, 1861, General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson was planning an offensive strike against Federal troops ensconced in the strategic town of Romney, formerly of Virginia and now in West Virginia.
As part of a brigade under the command of Colonel William B. Taliaferro, the First Georgia arrived in Winchester. Through recruitment and new arrivals from home, the regiment entered its camp at nearly full strength. General Jackson noted the arrival of Taliaferro’s regiments in a report to his immediate superior, General Joseph E. Johnston:
HEADQUARTERS VALLEY DISTRICT,
Winchester, Va., December 24, 1861.
General JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON:
GENERAL: In reply to your letter of December 21 I have to state that on inquiry I learn from General Loring that there is no company of Colonel Moore's regiment in Colonel Gilham's regiment. The regiments now here from Western Virginia are: The Twenty-third Virginia, aggregate 517; Thirty-seventh Virginia, aggregate 846; First Georgia, aggregate 918; Third Arkansas, aggregate 756.
I do not know the names and strength of the other regiments ordered here. As soon as I learn them I will report to you.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
T. J. JACKSON,
Major-General, Commanding.
As part of a brigade under the command of Colonel William B. Taliaferro, the First Georgia arrived in Winchester. Through recruitment and new arrivals from home, the regiment entered its camp at nearly full strength. General Jackson noted the arrival of Taliaferro’s regiments in a report to his immediate superior, General Joseph E. Johnston:
HEADQUARTERS VALLEY DISTRICT,
Winchester, Va., December 24, 1861.
General JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON:
GENERAL: In reply to your letter of December 21 I have to state that on inquiry I learn from General Loring that there is no company of Colonel Moore's regiment in Colonel Gilham's regiment. The regiments now here from Western Virginia are: The Twenty-third Virginia, aggregate 517; Thirty-seventh Virginia, aggregate 846; First Georgia, aggregate 918; Third Arkansas, aggregate 756.
I do not know the names and strength of the other regiments ordered here. As soon as I learn them I will report to you.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
T. J. JACKSON,
Major-General, Commanding.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
