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Jan 11 1863 (Sunday)

Shortly after Braxton Bragg's withdrawal from Murfreesboro, the Chattanooga Daily Rebel publishes an article, "stating that the army disliked Bragg, had no confidence in him, and that the retreat from Murfreesboro was made against the advice of his generals." After Bragg reads the newspaper article aloud to his staff, he proclaims that he will resign his command if he no longer enjoys the army's confidence. He also sends a letter to his corps and division commanders asking them to acknowledge advising him to retreat and asking for an opinion about the army's confidence in him.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF TENNESSEE, Tullahoma, Tenn., January 11, 1863. - Lieutenant-General POLK, Commanding Polk's Corps, Asheville, N. C.: - GENERAL: Finding myself assailed in private and public by the press, in private circles by officers and citizens, for the movement from Murfreesborough..., it becomes necessary for me to save my fair name....It has come to my knowledge that many of these accusations and insinuations are from staff officers of my generals, who persistently assert that the movement was made against the opinion and advice of their chiefs, and while the enemy was in full retreat....Unanimous as you were in council in verbally advising a retrograde movement, I cannot doubt that you will cheerfully attest the same in writing....If...I am the victim of unjust accusations, say so, and unite with me in staying the malignant slanders being propagated by men who have felt the sting of discipline....I shall retire without a regret if I find I have lost the good opinion of my generals, upon whom I have ever relied as upon a foundation of rock....Most respectfully, your obedient servant, BRAXTON BRAGG, General, C. S. Army.

As the war-torn Southern economy struggles to produce adequate clothing for its men in arms, many of its soldiers suffer from the effects of old man winter. One major source of clothing is home manufacture. Thousands of women and young girls weave cloth, knit scarves and socks, and stitch shoes to provide for their loved ones. At Port Gibson, Mississippi, young ladies provide much needed articles of clothing for soldiers stationed nearby.

HEADQUARTERS SECOND CORPS, Grenada, January 11, 1863. - To the LITTLE GIRLS OF PORT GIBSON: I have received with much pride the donation of socks sent by you to my soldiers and to me. They will add much to our comfort and have already given us great pleasure by causing us to think cheerfully of our dear little girls in their far-off homes....Little girls of Port Gibson, you have the soldiers' prayers. Continue in your good actions that your youth may weave a chaplet of virtue to adorn your old age on earth and make you blessed in eternity. STERLING PRICE.

After burning most of the supplies at Springfield, Missouri, John Marmaduke leads his cavalrymen back towards Arkansas. "The column was put in motion toward Hartville. A little before daylight the advance encountered a Federal force coming from Austin, via Hartville..., and hearing that a strong cavalry force was in my rear, I deemed it best not to put myself in battle between the two forces, but to turn the force in my front and fight them." After a fierce day-long fight, Marmaduke's men are victorious and continue on their Southward trek. "The march was a long and most trying one, over rough, rock roads, through rain and snow and icy mountain streams, and a country laid waste by the Federals."

LEBANON, MO. - Major-General CURTIS. - GENERAL: Both armies arrived at Hartville at the same time, and took positions on opposite sides of the town...In a few moments their cavalry dismounted and charged upon us along our whole line, but, receiving repeated and heavy volleys from our forces, they gave way and fled to the other side of the town....Charges were repeatedly made, and as often repulsed, and a heavy and destructive fire of artillery and musketry maintained until about the middle of the afternoon....Firing ceased on both my right and left, and, supposing that a strategic movement was going on, I increased the force of my fire....In about half an hour, not hearing anything from our troops, I sent men out to look for them, who soon returned and reported that our forces had all left the field....I remain, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, C. W. DULAP, Lieutenant-Colonel, Comdg. Twenty-first Iowa Volunteers.

Learning of McClernand's expedition up the Arkansas River, Ulysses Grant complains to Henry Halleck, "General McClernand has...gone on a wild goose chase to the Post of Arkansas." Hoping to forestall any further efforts by McClernand to lead his expedition away from the Mississippi, Grant orders him to return to Milliken's Bend. "Unless absolutely necessary for the object of your expedition you will abstain from all moves not connected with it."

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE, Memphis, Tenn., January 11, 1863. - Major-General McCLERNAND, Commanding Expedition on Vicksburg: - GENERAL: I do not approve of your move on the Post of Arkansas....It will lead to the loss of men without a result. So long as Arkansas cannot re-enforce the enemy east of the river we have no present interest in troubling them....From the best information I have, Milliken's Bend is the proper place for you to be, and unless there is some great reason of which I am not advised you will immediately proceed to that point and await the arrival of re-enforcements and General Banks' expedition, keeping me fully advised of your movements. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, U.S. GRANT, Major-General.

The gunboats accompanying McClernand's fleet, the Louisville, De Kalb, and the Cincinnati, have spent the previous day bombarding Fort Hindman in preparation for McClernand's landward assault. After breaking off the attack at dark, Admiral Porter remarks that the return fire from the Confederate fort, "glanced off [the gunboats] like peas against glass." In the predawn hours, "Cump" Sherman reconnoiters the enemy lines. He approaches the Confederate outposts so closely he hears a Rebel bugler play "as pretty a reveille as I ever listened to."

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Steamer Tigress, Mississippi River. - Lieut. Col. JOHN A. RAWLINS, Assistant Adjutant-General, Department of the Tennessee: Post Arkansas, a small village, the capital of Arkansas County, is situated on elevated ground, above the reach of floods, and defining for some miles the left bank of the river....Fort Hindman, a square, full-bastioned fort, was erected within this village, upon the bank of the river, at the head of a bend resembling a horseshoe....The parapet was 18 feet wide on the top, the ditch 20 feet wide on the ground level, and 8 feet deep, with a slope of 4 feet base....On the southern face of the northeastern bastion was a casemate 18 by 15 feet wide and 7 ½ feet high in the clear....This casemate contained a 9-inch columbiad. A similar casemate was constructed in the curtain facing the river, containing an 8-inch columbiad, and still another 9 inch columbiad was mounted in the salient angle of the southeastern bastion on a center-pintle barbette carriage. All of these guns commanded the river below the fort....JOHN A. McCLERNAND, Major-General, Commanding.

At 10 a.m., Sherman reports that he is "all ready for the assault, and only waited the simultaneous movement of the gunboats." Shortly after noon, the gunboats are in position and the attack begins. McClernand has 30,000 men available against 5,000 Confederate defenders, commanded by General Thomas Churchill, who has been given orders"to hold out till help arrived or until all dead."

HEADQUARTERS FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Post Arkansas, Ark. - Lieut. Col. A. SCHWARTZ, Assistant Adjutant-General to General McClernand. - SIR: The gunboats opened about 1 p.m., and our field batteries at once commenced firing....I ordered the firing to cease and the infantry columns to advance to the assault....By 3 p.m. our lines were within 100 yard of the enemy's trenches, outflanking him on our right and completely enveloping his position. The gunboats could be seen close up to the fort, and I saw the admiral's flag directly under it. All artillery fire from the fort had ceased....I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General, Commanding.

General Churchill is everywhere, waving his sword and urging his men to fight on, but the heavy naval batteries easily silence all the guns in the fort. "The enemy's gunboats and batteries had now complete command of our position, taking it on the right flank, front and rear, literally raking the entire position." Finally the fort's commander, a former U.S. naval officer, Colonel John W. Dunnington hoists a white flag. Admiral Porter, aboard the flag steamer Black Hawk, steams up to the fort's shattered casements and, after going ashore, accepts the surrender of the fort. Churchill, although thoroughly disgusted with the surrender, has no choice but to comply.

RlCHMOND, Va. - Lieut. Gen. T. H. HOLMES, Little Rock. - GENERAL: The fort had now been silenced about an hour, most of the field pieces had been disabled, still the fire raged furiously along the entire line....Just at this moment, to my great surprise, several white flags were displayed..., and before they could be suppressed the enemy took advantage of them, crowded upon my lines, and...I was forced to the humiliating necessity of surrendering the balance of the command....I hope and trust that the traitor will yet be discovered, brought to justice, and suffer the full penalty of the law....I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, T. J. CHURCHILL, Brig. Gen., Comdg. Lower Arkansas and White Rivers.


Casualties for the day Union: 1,061 Confederate 4,900 (4,791 missing and presumed captured.)


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Jan 12 1863 (Monday)

Robert E. Lee attempts to mollify A.P. Hill in his quest to have a formal hearing on the charges brought against him by "Stonewall" Jackson last fall. "I do not think that in every case where an officer is arrested there is a necessity for a trial..., and I consider yours one in which such a proceeding is unnecessary." As Lee struggles with dissension among the generals in his army, Braxton Bragg is stung by the responses his generals have given him after circulating yesterday's letter. General Hardee states, "I feel that frankness compels me to say that the general officers...are unanimous in the opinion that a change in the command of this army is necessary." Hardee's opinion is seconded by General Breckinridge, who is upset with Bragg's insinuation that he was slow to reinforce Polk on the first day of the Stone's River battle.

HEADQUARTERS BRECKINRIDGE'S DIVISION, Tullahoma Tenn., January 12, 1863. - General BRAXTON BRAGG, C. S. Army: - GENERAL: In obedience to your wishes, I have this day had a conference with the brigade commanders of my division, Generals Pillow and Preston and Colonels Trabue and Gibson....Acting with the candor which you invoke, they request me to say that, in their opinion, the conduct of the military operations in front of Murfreesborough made it necessary for our army to retire. They also request me to say that while they entertain the highest respect for your patriotism, it is their opinion that you do not possess the confidence of the army to an extent which will enable you to be useful as its commander. In this opinion I feel bound to state that I concur....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN C. BRECKINRIDGE, Major-general.

After completing his 2,500 mile journey through the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis returns to Richmond in time to convene the third session of the Confederate Congress. "We are justified in asserting with a pride surely not unbecoming, that these Confederate State have added another to the lessons taught by history for the instruction of man; that they have afforded another example of the impossibility of subjugating a people determined to be free." Davis also takes the opportunity to expound on his opinion of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation by threatening to put all captured Union officers to death.

Extract from President's Message, January 12, 1863. - To the SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES: We may well leave it to the instincts of that common humanity...to pass judgment on a measure by which several millions of human beings of an inferior race, peaceful and contented laborers in their sphere, are doomed to extermination....So far as regards the action of this Government on such criminals as may attempt its execution I confine myself to informing you that I shall...deliver to the...State authorities all commissioned officers of the United States that may hereafter be captured by our forces in any of the States embraced in the proclamation that they may be dealt with in accordance with the laws of those States providing for the punishment of criminals engaged in exciting servile insurrection. The enlisted soldiers I shall continue to treat as unwilling instruments in the commission of these crimes and shall direct their discharge and return to their homes on the proper and usual parole. JEFF'N DAVIS.

With the countryside surrounding Fredericksburg picked clean of food and forage, Robert E. Lee struggles to feed his men. Hampered by having to rely upon the single track Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad to procure supplies, Lee has already sent most of his artillery horses to the rear due to a lack of forage. Now, a shortage of meat threatens to sap the strength of his men. "The present meat resources lie...mainly in the supplies accumulated...in Tennessee....Of those supplies a large quantity...have been used by Bragg's army....General Bragg having fallen back, Middle Tennessee is lost....Consequently want of meat rations seems certainly impending over General Bragg's army and the Army of Virginia."

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, January 12, 1863. - Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War: SIR: The chief commissary of this army has informed me that our beeves will hardly carry us through the present month. In fact, those which we are now using are very poor on account of the difficulty of procuring good grazing, and it would save great loss if these could be retained and fattened in the spring. I will be glad, therefore, if you will cause arrangements to be made to supply us with salt meat, of which I hope the chief commissary has enough on hand to supply the army until we can again procure beeves in proper condition for use. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.



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Jan 13 1863 (Tuesday)

Braxton Bragg establishes his line along the Duck River; Bishop Polk's corps is situated near Shelbyville, and William Hardee's corps is on the right near Wartrace. Cavalry extend the line westward to Columbia and eastward to McMinnville, giving Bragg a defensive line almost seventy miles long. To keep the Federal army off balance, John Morgan, Nathan Forrest, Earl Van Dorn, and Joe Wheeler will conduct raids behind their lines, disrupting supplies, cutting communications and wreaking havoc whenever possible. It is "Fighting Joe" Wheeler who draws first blood with a strike at Harpeth Shoals, midway between Nashville and Clarksville. Union General Robert Mitchell raises the alarm, "The rebels are burning everything on the river. There are at least four...freight boats destroyed." Wheeler's men also succeed in sinking a gunboat, the U.S.S. Charter, before heading off downstream.

GENERAL HOSPITAL, NO. 17, Nashville, Tenn. - Maj. Gen. W. S. ROSECRANS, Commanding Department of the Cumberland. - SIR: On January 13, 1863, as surgeon in charge, I started with 212 wounded and sick soldiers...on the steamer Hastings, on the Cumberland River, bound for Louisville, Ky. At Harpeth Shoals...the boat was captured by the Confederate forces. The...boat and men [were] permitted to proceed only on condition that I certified to the lists as captured and paroled....The Confederate officers, being intoxicated and getting rapidly more so, took the lists, names, and plunder, and hurried off, in spite of my protest and demand for copies....I have the honor to be, very respectfully and obediently, yours, L. D. WATERMAN, Surgeon Thirty-ninth Indiana Volunteers, In charge General Hospital, No. 17, Nashville, Tenn.

The fact that President Lincoln has not yet removed him from command is taken by General Burnside as permission to proceed with his plan for an upstream crossing of the Rappahannock River. Not willing to rush headlong into another Confederate stronghold, Burnside sends out his cavalry to inspect the proposed bridgehead site at United States Ford. "Old Burn" also directs his generals to have their men "ready to move in twelve hours' notice."

HEADQUARTERS, Camp near Fredericksburg, January 13, 1863. - His Excellency JEFFERSON DAVIS, President of the Confederate States, Richmond, Va.: - Mr. PRESIDENT: For several days past there have been general indications of some movement by the army of Burnside....Rumors are abundant, but whether it is intended to retire, advance or transfer it elsewhere I cannot ascertain....The army has recently been more concentrated..., and its right flank more extended toward the Orange and Alexandria Railroad....No winter quarters are being erected, but the men are covering themselves, constructing chimneys to tents, &c....With great respect, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.

In light of McClernand's foray into Arkansas, Henry Halleck has given Grant authorization to "relieve McClernand from command...giving it to the next in rank or taking it yourself." Losing no time, Grant rides ahead to Memphis and again orders John McClernand to return his expeditionary force to the Mississippi River. "Unless there is some object not visible at this distance your forces should return to Milliken's Bend, or some point convenient for operating on Vicksburg."

MEMPHIS, TENN., January 13, 1863. - Maj. Gen. J. B. McPHERSON, La Grange, Tenn.: It is my present intention to command the expedition down the river in person. I will take two divisions with me....I do not know where McClernand is, but have sent orders for him to proceed to Milliken's Bend and remain there or cooperate with Banks, should he be coming up the river....U.S. GRANT, Major-General.

When Abraham Lincoln first suspended the writ of habeas corpus in Maryland, he was thwarted by Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney. Defying the President, Taney ruled that "the Constitution does not authorize the arrest of civilians by army officers without the sanction of civil courts, nor does it permit a citizen to be held in prison indefinitely without trial." Following in the footsteps of Andrew Jackson, Lincoln simply ignores Taney's decision and continues his policy of suspending habeas corpus in cases which threaten the war effort. Lincoln's right to suspend habeas corpus in areas distant from military operations is again threatened when the Supreme Court in Wisconsin rules that "the President has no right to suspend the writ of habeas corpus....Congress alone can suspend the writ."

MADISON, WIS., January 13, 1863. - Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War: In the habeas corpus cases...the supreme court, consisting of loyal and patriotic judges, has just decided that the President has not the power to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in Wisconsin nor to declare martial law therein to subject persons resisting the draft to trial by court-martial. I recommend therefore that the prisoners be discharged to avoid a conflict between the civil and military authorities. Please order General Elliott immediately to discharge them....EDWD. SALOMON, Governor of Wisconsin.



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Jan 14 1863 (Wednesday)

When Jefferson Davis summons Edward Kirby Smith to Richmond, many believe Smith is to be given Braxton Bragg's command in Tennessee. As the second highest ranking lieutenant-general in the army, Smith's present command, in Eastern Tennessee, has been cut in half due to reinforcements sent to Bragg's army. Instead, Smith is offered the command of the newly created Department of Western Louisiana and Texas, carved out of Theophilus Holmes' Trans-Mississippi Department. Smith is unimpressed with the offer, "Am I thus to be sent into exile?"

SPECIAL ORDERS, No. 11. - ADJT. AND INSP. GENERAL'S OFFICE, Richmond, January 14, 1863. Lieut. Gen. E. Kirby Smith is assigned to the command of the Southwestern Army, embracing the Department of West Louisiana and Texas. The geographical limits of this command will hereafter be separate and distinct from the command of the Trans-Mississippi Department....Lieutenant-General Smith will proceed with his staff to Alexandria, La., and assume this command. By command of the Secretary of War: JNO. WITHERS, Assistant Adjutant-General.

In the midst of the battle at Stone's River, William Rosecrans narrowly missed being struck by a stray cannonball. Instead his chief-of-staff Colonel Julius Gareshe, riding beside the general, was decapitated. The late Gareshe, an old regular army officer who eschewed a general's commission, preferring to earn one in battle, is replaced by Brigadier-General James Garfield, the epitome of a political general. Fresh from serving on Fitz-John Porter's court martial panel, and fully recovered from camp fever which forced him to give up his last command, Garfield, an ardent Lincoln supporter before the war, is eager to rejoin the war. With his new chief-of-staff in place, "Old Rosy" resumes his effort to equip a brigade of mounted infantry to combat the incessant Rebel cavalry raids in Tennessee and Kentucky.

MURFREESBOROUGH, TENN., January 14, 1863. (Received January 15---2.45 a.m.) - Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief: I must have cavalry or mounted infantry. Had I horses and saddles I could mount infantry....With mounted infantry I can drive the rebel cavalry to the wall and keep the roads open in my rear...Will you authorize the purchase of saddles and horses for mounting, when requisite, 5,000 more infantry? W. S. ROSECRANS, Major-general.

General Herron, suffering from "a severe attack of fever," struggles to intercept Marmaduke's retreating cavalry. "A spy...states that it was Marmaduke's intention to go...to West Plains, and thence to Pocahontas....Should he take...[that] route we cannot intercept him." Despite the harsh weather, Marmaduke's men continue to gobble up Union detachments as they head back to Arkansas. "In winter, the overcoat bearing Federal was esteemed especially for his pelt."

HEADQUARTERS, Houston, Mo., January 14, 1863. - Maj. Gen. SAMUEL R. CURTIS, Saint Louis, Mo: All information by scouting parties sent out confirms me in the opinion..., that the enemy are in rapid retreat toward Arkansas....General Marmaduke in command, with from 4,000 to 5,000 men. Their loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners will not fall below 250 or 300....FITZ-HENRY WARREN, Brigadier-General.


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Jan 15 1863 (Thursday)

Since taking command of the Charleston defenses last fall, Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard has spared no effort to improve the fortifications protecting "the cradle of secession." The harbor defenses at Fort Moultrie, Castle Pinckney, and Fort Sumter have been strengthened; seventy-seven artillery pieces of varying calibers have been put in position; and torpedoes, obstructions, and floating webs of hemp, "designed to entangle rudders and snarl propellers," now lace the harbor channels. To further protect the city against any Federal warship which runs this gauntlet, "Old Bory" organizes a group of volunteers, known as the Tigers, who will be trained to "board in small boats at night," and attack the offending gunboat by "throwing bottles of burning fluid [into the] tower and bags [of] powder [into the] funnel of chimney."

HDQRS. DEPT. SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA, AND FLORIDA, Charleston, S. G., January 15, 1863. - Brig. Gen. R. S. RIPLEY, Commanding First Military District, Charleston: - GENERAL: Organize and train at least six boarding boat parties, with a view to attacking at night any of the enemy's iron-clads that may succeed in penetrating the harbor. The men should be armed with revolvers...and provided...with bottles of burning fluid to throw into the tower, with leather bags of powder to throw into the smoke-stack, and with ladders of about 12 feet in length to storm the tower in case of need. The boats should be provided with muffled oars, with water-tight casks secured under the seats to give buoyancy in case of injury to the boats from any cause. The men should each likewise be furnished with a life preserver. For such a service it were best to call for volunteers. Respectfully, your obedient servant, THOMAS JORDAN, Chief of Staff.

After receiving "positive information" that Rosecrans' army has been "re-enforced to an extent equal to his whole loss--25,000," at Stone's River, Braxton Bragg increases efforts to bolster his own army. "Three officers and three competent men from each regiment, will be detailed for the purpose of enrolling and bringing in conscripts." Out riding near his Tullahoma headquarters, the general encounters a man dressed in butternut and asks him if he belongs to the army. The man responds, "Bragg's got no army. He shot half of them himself, up in Kentucky, and the other half got killed at Murfreesboro."

RICHMOND, VA., January 15, 1863. - General BRAXTON BRAGG, Tullahoma, Tenn.: For the present all which seems practicable is to select a strong position and fortify it to wait for attack. Should the enemy attempt to pass you with his whole force your chances will be even better. If I could furnish re-enforcements to your glorious army which would enable them to crown their recent victory it would at once be done....JEFFERSON DAVIS.

In preparation for his advance up the Mississippi River to Port Hudson, Nathaniel Banks orders General Weitzel to clear out the Rebel forces from his left flank. After crossing Berwick Bay, Weitzel's men advance up Bayou Teche and run into Confederate defenders commanded by Richard Taylor. "[We] proceeded down the main bayou road and got in battery just in time to protect the C.S. gunboat J.A. Cotton....Here the left section dispersed the Yankees, and enabled the gunboat, which had swung against the bank of the bayou, to become manageable, and retire up the Teche." Taylor's men retreat into this "region of lakes, bayous, jungle, and bog," and scuttle the Cotton, successfully blocking any further Union advance up the Teche.

HEADQUARTERS RESERVE BRIGADE, Camp Stevens, La. - Lieut. Col. RICHARD B. IRWIN, Adjutant-General, Dept. of the Gulf, New Orleans, La. - COLONEL: I threw the Eighth Vermont on the east bank of Bayou Teche, to clear that bank of riflemen..., and advanced my line on the west bank to attack the Cotton, which was in sight....The three pieces of the enemy's artillery, with its infantry and cavalry support on the west bank, were driven back....The Cotton stood this terrible fire bravely for some time, then commenced retreating slowly....Next morning...before we could commence removing the obstructions in the bayou, the Cotton was reported on fire. She had been swung across the bayou and burned, so that her hull might serve as a further obstruction....I immediately ordered the return, and arrived...with my whole command....I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, G. WEITZEL, Brigadier-General, U. S. Volunteers.


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Jan 16 1863 (Friday)

The reports coming from cavalry commanders Alfred Pleasonton and William Averell are not encouraging to Ambrose Burnside. "The rebels are very busy constructing rifle-pits and breastworks at different points on the opposite side of the river." Although his original plan for crossing the Rappahannock River at United States Ford is no longer feasible, "Old Burn" is intent upon crossing the river and selects the less heavily defended Banks Ford, five miles downstream, as his new crossing point. On the Confederate side of the line, James Longstreet has kept his corps busy entrenching and digging "squad-sized rifle trenches, staggered in depth..., and connected by traverses." Even "Stonewall" Jackson is impressed with the handiwork of Longstreet's engineers and, upon returning to his own section of the lines, immediately puts his men to work constructing these new traverse trenches. "The world has never seen such a fortified position....They follow the contour of the ground and hug the bases of the hills as they wind to and from the river, thus giving natural flanking arrangements, and from the tops of the hills frown the redoubts for sunken batteries and barbette batteries ad libitum."

JANUARY 16, 1863. - Major-General BURNSIDE: - GENERAL: The latest report of United States Ford...states the enemy had two camps there; had dug two rifle-pits, one behind the other, about 25 yards long each, and that a North Carolina regiment was on picket there. These rifle pits were dug on the 13th....Very respectfully, general, your obedient servant, A. PLEASONTON, Brigadier-General.

John McClernand reluctantly obeys Grant's order to return from Arkansas. "Although I had hoped to be able to push my successes farther in this direction I will immediately return....I find that our success here is more extensive that I at first supposed." However McClernand, basking in the glow of his recent victory, can't help taking a few swipes at the irate Grant. "I take responsibility...and had anticipated your approval of the complete and signal success which crowned it rather than your condemnation....From the moment you fell back from Oxford...the Mississippi River Expedition was doomed to eventuate in a failure....I accept the consequences of the imputed guilt of using [the army] profitably and successfully upon my own responsibility."

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Post Arkansas, January 16, 1863. - His Excellency ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States: - SIR: I believe my success here is gall and wormwood to the clique of West Pointers who have been persecuting me for months. How can you expect success when men controlling the military destinies of the country are more chagrined at the success of your volunteer officers than the very enemy beaten by the latter in battle? Something must be done to take the hand of oppression off citizen soldiers whose zeal for their country has prompted them to take up arms, or all will be lost....The Mississippi River being the only channel of communication, and that being infested with guerrillas, how can General Grant at a distance of 400 miles intelligently command the army with me? He cannot do it. It should be made an independent command, as both you and the Secretary of War, as I believe, originally intended. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN A. McCLERNAND.


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Jan 17 1863 (Saturday)

As General McClernand gets ready to head back to Milliken's Bend, he is annoyed to discover that the nearby town of Napoleon is in flames. "Take measures immediately to extinguish the flames..., and find...the incendiaries." An embarrassed Sherman is unable to comply. "I went in person to direct the extinguishment of the fire....It was impossible....It is [also] impossible to find out the incendiary; not a clue can now be found." Sherman however, has other troubles on his mind. First and foremost, is his new commander John McClernand, who Sherman feels is "unfit and...consumed by an inordinate personal ambition." "Cump" is also dismayed to learn that Grant is unhappy with the expedition's recent venture into Arkansas.

HEADQUARTERS FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, On board Forest Queen, Napoleon, Ark., January 17, 1863. - Maj. Gen. U.S. GRANT, Commanding Department of Tennessee: - DEAR GENERAL: I take a liberty of writing you direct semi-officially....I infer from a remark made by General McClernand that you have disapproved the step. If I could believe that Banks had reduced Port Hudson and appeared at Vicksburg during our absence I would feel the force of your disapproval, but I feel so assured that we will again be at Vicksburg before Banks is there that I cannot think any bad result of this kind can occur....Could we have followed up, the capture of Little Rock would have been easy....As to forcing a passage at any point along the Yazoo [River] from its mouth to Haines' [Bluff] I doubt it. I wish you would come down and see. I only fear McClernand may attempt impossibilities....I am, with great respect, your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General, Commanding.

Ambrose Burnside attempts to check the growing insubordination in the Army of the Potomac by placing General "Bully" Brooks, commanding a division in William B. Franklin's corps, under arrest for "malicious gossip." "Old Burn" is even more agitated when he is forced to postpone his Rappahannock River crossing. "The order for the movement...at 12 p.m., January 18, is suspended for twenty-four hours."

HEADQUARTERS LEFT GRAND DIVISION, January 17, 1863. - Maj. Gen. J. G. PARKE, Chief of Staff, Army of the Potomac: - GENERAL: I do not wish to commence the movement of my command on Sunday, if it can be avoided. I shall, therefore, be glad if the commanding general will...let me know whether it is certain that the necessary roads for the approaches to the bridges can be finished by Monday morning. If they cannot, I suggest, respectfully, that they ought to be finished on Monday night, and that, therefore, perhaps Monday morning will be as soon as my command need move....Very respectfully, yours, W. B. FRANKLIN, Major-General, Commanding Left.

Despite the protestations of General Pemberton that such a move will strip his department of cavalry, Earl Van Dorn, the senior ranking major-general in the Confederacy, is ordered to take his cavalrymen to the aid of Braxton Bragg in Tennessee. "You are assigned to command of all the cavalry in this department....You will report to General Johnston for operation in connection with Bragg's cavalry." Van Dorn however, is in desperate need of competent general officers to command his cavalry forces. "I have four brigades of cavalry and but one brigadier-general; senior colonels incompetent....Do give me...Armstrong, Cosby, and R. A. Howard for brigadier-generals. They are strongly recommended...and are, I am confident, fully competent"

JACKSON, MISS., January 17, 1863. - His Excellency the PRESIDENT, Richmond: I am preparing to send about 6,000 cavalry under Van Dorn to Bragg's aid to operate upon the enemy's communications. I think it of great importance. These brigades will be under utterly incompetent commanders unless you appoint brigadier-generals....J. E. JOHNSTON.

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