[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]

Nov 01 1863 (Sunday)

James Longstreet continues to stir up controversy in the Army of Tennessee by requesting that General Robertson be relieved of command as a result of his behavior at Wauhatchie. "At the request of Lieutenant-General Longstreet, Brigadier-General Robertson will be relieved from duty while the proceedings and actions of the examining board in his case are pending. By command of General Bragg." The action against Robertson, who commanded a brigade in John Bell Hood's old division, rocks the unit which is already suffering due to the intense rivalry between Generals Micah Jenkins and Evander Law. As a result of the continuing strife in Bragg's army, President Davis again sends his aide Colonel Chestnut, "to confer with General Bragg, and for inquiry, observation, and report."

HEADQUARTERS CORPS, November 1, 1863. - Col. GEORGE WILLIAM BRENT, Assistant Adjutant-General: - COLONEL: I have the honor to ask that Brig. Gen. J. B. Robertson be relieved from the command of his brigade pending the proceedings of the board now examining his case. This officer has been complained of so frequently for want of conduct in time of battle that I apprehend that the abandonment by his brigade of its position of the night of the 28th may have been due to his want of hearty co-operation. I remain, sir, very respectfully, your most obedient servant, JAMES LONGSTREET, Lieutenant-General.

Much needed supplies begin to flow into Chattanooga. Charles Dana reports, "Paint Rock arrived safely at Kelley's Ferry. Four days' rations for whole army landed there since yesterday morning." U.S. Grant, impatient to begin offensive operations, orders that the railroad to Nashville "should be run to its utmost capacity." Grant wants at least thirty, "and if possible more, cars through to Stevenson and Bridgeport daily, loaded with rations." He reiterates his request to the Superintendent of Military Railroads: "On no account fail to send the thirty cars daily loaded with rations." With his position in Chattanooga now relatively secure, Grant turns his attention to Ambrose Burnside's precarious hold on East Tennessee.

CHATTANOOGA, November 1, 1863--10 p.m. - (Received 5th.) - Major-General BURNSIDE, Knoxville: Thomas' command is not in condition to do more than make a demonstration in their immediate front. This will be done as soon as possible. Kingston should be held, if you have to concentrate all your force there. Make such disposition of trains and troops as to be able to make this concentration. Should the enemy break through below Kingston, move in force to Sparta and McMinnville and hang on to him with your force, and such as I can send from Bridgeport and Stevenson, until he is beaten and turned back....U. S. GRANT, Major-General, Commanding.

Other activity reported on this date:
1. General Averell's command sets out from Beverly, WV, on an expedition to Lewisburg.
2. Union scout from Bovina Station to Baldwin's Station, MS.
3. Skirmish at Eastport, MS.
4. Skirmish at Quinn and Jackson's Mill on the Coldwater River, MS.
5. Skirmish at Fayetteville, TN. 1 Union officer killed.
6. Union expedition to Gila River, Arizona Territory including a skirmish with a party of Indians in which four horses were wounded.


[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]

Nov 02 1863 (Monday)

Nathaniel Banks' expeditionary force makes its appearance near the mouth of the Rio Grande River. General Bee reports, "The enemy are in considerable force; fifteen vessels of all sizes, up to this time, are off the Brazos Santiago. Ten shells were fired this morning at the houses at the mouth. The weather is stormy, and I do not anticipate a landing before to-morrow." Despite the storm, Banks' sends his men ashore. He reports, "The flag of the Union floated over Texas to-day at meridian precisely. Our enterprise has been a complete success." He continues: "A landing was effected at Brazos Santiago, which was occupied by the enemy's cavalry and artillery....The enemy was driven from his position..., and the troops ordered forward to Brownsville, 30 miles from the mouth of the river."

HEADQUARTERS FIRST DIVISION, ARMY OF TEXAS, Fort Brown, Tex., November 2, 1863. - Capt. EDMUND P. TURNER, Assistant Adjutant-General, Houston. - SIR: The enemy...made their appearance in seven steamers off the mouth of the Rio Grande at 7 p.m. yesterday. As they arrived just at dark, it was impossible to ascertain whether there were more in the offing....In the meantime I am forwarding everything that can be of value to the Government up the river, and have sent out a detachment to turn back all cotton wagons en route for this place. I shall hold the enemy in check as long as possible, with the small force now at my command, but shall feel sadly the want of artillery. My design is to retire slowly up the river, and continue to draw supplies from the Mexican side of the river. My movements, of course, will be governed by the operations of the enemy in the direction of Lavaca and Corpus Christi, with a design of cutting off my retreat from San Antonio....With great respect, your obedient servant, H. P. BEE, Brigadier-General, Provisional Army, Confederate States.

As one of the few high ranking officers that is willing to defend the conduct of William Quantrill, who is currently wintering his men in Texas, General Sterling Price writes a letter to Governor Reynolds: "Colonel Quantrill has now with him some 350 men of that daring and dashing character which has made the name of Quantrill so feared by our enemies....The services of those men cannot be spared, but an obstacle presents itself which I fear will require more than my exertions to overcome....It is with much regret that I find a disposition in these men to avoid coming into the service of the Confederacy." Price explains that "their objections are not without foundation," as "they have been outlawed by the Federal authorities, and expect no mercy or clemency at their hands, not even the chances of prisoners of war." Conveniently ignoring most of the available evidence, Price continues to defend Quantrill's actions at Lawrence, Kansas.

HEADQUARTERS PRICE'S DIVISION, Camp Bragg, Ark., November 2, 1863. - Col. WILLIAM C. QUANTRILL, Commanding Cavalry: - COLONEL: General Price is very anxious that you prepare the report of your summer campaign...at as early a date as practicable, and forward it without delay....In it he wishes you to incorporate particularly the treatment which the prisoners belonging to your command...; also the orders issued by General Blunt or other Federal officers regarding the disposition to be made of you or your men if taken or vanquished. He...wants to have all the facts clearly portrayed, so that the Confederacy and the world may learn the murderous and uncivilized warfare which they themselves inaugurated, and thus be able to appreciate their cowardly shrieks and howls when with a just retaliation the same "measure is meted out to them." He desires me to convey to you, and through you to your command, his high appreciation of the hardships you have so nobly endured and the gallant struggle you have made against despotism and the oppression of our State, with the confident hope that success will soon crown our efforts. I have the honor to remain, respectfully, your obedient servant, MACLEAN, Major and Assistant Adjutant-General.

Other activity reported on this date:
1. Skirmish at Bayou Bourbeau, LA.
2. Skirmish at Corinth, MS.
3. Skirmish at Centreville, TN. Skirmish in Bates Township, AK.
4. Union occupation of Brazos Island, TX.


[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]

Nov 03 1863 (Tuesday)

General Buckner signals the end of his dispute with Braxton Bragg over his command authority in a letter to President Davis. He writes: "Permit me to express my regrets, Mr. President, that you should have alluded even remotely to the possibility of my having been influenced in my public duty by an unworthy ambition....Though there are officers inferior not only in rank but in grade, who have commands perhaps twice as large as that to which I have been assigned..., you may rely upon my most hearty official assistance and co-operation with the commanding general, and whatever may be the personal relations which his conduct may impose, he will continue to receive from me the official courtesies to which his position entitles him." Of the generals who challenged Bragg's authority in the presence of President Davis, only James Longstreet remains unscathed.

HEADQUARTERS, Russellville, East Tenn. - General S. COOPER, Adjutant and Inspector General. - GENERAL: A camp rumor reached me to the effect that I was to be ordered into East Tennessee, to operate against the enemy's forces at and near Knoxville. Such a move had not occurred to me previously as practicable....I concluded the move might be made with safety by withdrawing our army behind the Chickamauga to some strong position, at the same time withdrawing our forces then at Sweetwater, so as to give out the impression that we were concentrating behind the Chickamauga, but at the same time to make a rapid movement by the most retired route into East Tennessee with a force of 20,000, and to strike the enemy so suddenly and so severely that his force should be crushed before he could know anything of our purposes....[On November 3] I was called to council by the commanding general, with Lieutenant-General Hardee and Major-General Breckinridge. The subject of the movements of our army being called, campaigns were proposed and discussed....The campaign in East Tennessee was then discussed....A campaign was settled upon. Two divisions (McLaws' and Hood's), under my command, were spoken of as the force from Chattanooga to execute it. I repeated my apprehensions..., but failed to make any impression upon the minds of the other officers, and endeavored to explain that the force that I would have would be too weak to operate with that promptness which the occasion seemed to require. At the end of the consultation I was ordered verbally to begin my preparations for the campaign....I applied at general headquarters for maps and information about the country that I was to operate in; also for a quartermaster and commissary of subsistence who knew the resources of the country....None of the staff officers asked for were sent me, nor were any of the maps, except one of the country between the Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers....Respectfully submitted. JAMES LONGSTREET, Lieutenant-General, Commanding.

Responding to Henry Halleck and President Lincoln's constant prodding that he renew offensive operations, George Meade devises a plan to turn the right flank of the Army of Northern Virginia. "From the best judgment I can form, [Lee's]...army is massed between the Rappahannock and Culpeper....I therefore do not think I could, with any probability of success, advance against him....After maturely weighing all...considerations, I have determined to attempt the movement by his right, throwing the whole army rapidly and secretly across the Rappahannock..., and taking position on the heights beyond [Fredericksburg]." The mere mention of another offensive near Fredericksburg causes both Lincoln and Halleck to immediately order Meade to call off his plan. Meade reports, "Your disapproval of the proposed attempt to secure a lodgment on the Fredericksburg heights of course caused an immediate abandonment of the plan. I have been since anxiously endeavoring to see my way clear to make some movement, which...would bring my army in contact with his, without giving him all the advantage of defense and position. As yet I have not been able to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion."

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, November 3, 1863--10 a.m. - Major-General MEADE, Army of the Potomac: [The President] does not see that the proposed change of base is likely to produce any favorable result, while its disadvantages are manifest. I have fully concurred in the views he has heretofore communicated on this subject. Any tactical movement to turn a flank or threaten a communication is left to your own judgment; but an entire change of base under existing circumstances, I can neither advise nor approve. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief.

Other activity reported on this date:
1. Confederate scout near Catlett's Station, VA.
2. Engagement near Grand Coteau, MS.
3. Skirmish at Carrion Crow Bayou, MS.
4. Skirmish at Quinn and Jackson's Mill on the Coldwater River, MS.
5. Action at Colliersville, TN. General Chalmers' attempt to break up the Memphis and Charleston Railroad is thwarted by forces commanded by Colonel Hatch. Total casualties: Union 60 Confederate 95.
6. Skirmish at Lawrenceburg, TN.


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Nov 04 1863 (Wednesday)

"Cump" Sherman's departure from the railroad has left of void in the Union defenses in Mississippi and Northern Alabama. General Hurlbut reports, "I am reduced to 6,000 infantry on the line of Memphis and Charleston Railroad....Since our troops have left, under Sherman, Mississippi is filling again with rebels. I have sent with Sherman across the Tennessee 10,000 of my best men. I have no hesitation in saying to you that...there is serious danger to our depot of supplies here at Memphis....Everything is tending to Chattanooga, where there will be no battle. As soon as our forces are concentrated there, they will hold them in the gap with a small comparative force and swing off to the right and left." Meanwhile, for the first time in days, U.S. Grant gets some news of Sherman's progress. General Crook reports, "I have just heard from General Sherman. He says he received our order and is carrying it out...He was crossing the river at Eastport and expected his advance would be at Rogersville by this time. Elk River yesterday was not fordable. I fear he will have some trouble and delay in crossing it."

HDQRS. SECOND DIVISION, FOURTH ARMY CORPS, Chattanooga, November 4, 1863. - Maj. J. S. FULLERTON, Assistant Adjutant-General, Fourth Army Corps: - MAJOR: The following information is sent to the general commanding. It was obtained from 8 rebel deserters who came over last night...: The enemy are very weak on their right. These deserters represent that there is nothing but a thin line. They are daily in expectation of an attack from our forces....There has been a good deal of ill-feeling and quarreling among their generals. Buckner is now commanding a division. Preston has been relieved and sent to Virginia for refusing to attack this place immediately after the battle of Chickamauga. Longstreet also declined to make the attack. The enemy are fortifying at different points on the railroad between Chickamauga Station and Atlanta. Their works at Atlanta are said to be extensive. The troops have nothing now but corn-bread and bad meat. No salt meat is being issued. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, P. H. SHERIDAN, Major-General.

James Seddon explains his reasons for pardoning two soldiers that General Lee had sentenced to death for desertion. "The respite was granted solely in consideration of the fact that the President was absent, and that no opportunity had therefore been enjoyed by the parties, or their friends, of making an appeal to his pardoning power. The privilege of at least a hearing from him was urged with so much earnestness and feeling by the distressed members of the families of the guilty parties that I did not feel at liberty to deny it to them....I have no hesitation in assuring you there is little likelihood of a recurrence to the policy of too great leniency. " Seddon continues, "Your counsels on the subject shall be made known to the President, and doubtless will not be without influence..., as they would have sufficed to remove any tendency to the weakness of mistaken humanity had it existed in my mind." Lee also sends his counsel to General Sam Jones in East Tennessee. "I suggest that you unite your whole force...and keep up appearances, while you strike rapid and strong blows upon the force in Tennessee....It behooves us to be active, to give the enemy no rest, and to prevent his re-enforcing his army about Chattanooga, which now seems to be the important point of his operations." With Meade's army still relatively quiet, Lee tends to administrative matters in his own army.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, November 4, 1863. - Maj. Gen. J. E. B. STUART, Commanding, &c.: - GENERAL: By inspection report of Hart's battery, it appears that there will be wanted, to mount the men now present for duty and for four guns and caissons, 62 horses....As this company had no record of property, and no morning reports, it was impossible to ascertain how many horses it had, or what had become of them. All that could be learned was what the orderly sergeant remembered....The condition of this battery is reported to be bad. I call your attention particularly to the necessity of having morning reports and a proper record, without which it is impossible to have proper responsibility in the command. The horses are said to be in worse condition, and to show more evidences of want of attention than those of the other batteries. The guns have not been washed off recently, nor the harness greased, and a chain is substituted for a pole yoke in one of the guns. The grounds about the guns and caissons are badly policed. It is due to Captain Hart to say that he has but recently returned to the battery. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.

Other activity reported on this date:
1. Skirmish near Rocky Run, NC.
2. Skirmish near Cackleytown, WV.
3. Skirmish at Maysville, VA.
4. Skirmish at Motley's Ford on the Little Tennessee River, TN.
5. Longstreet's corps detached from Army of Tennessee for operations against Burnside's forces.
6. Skirmish with Indians at the Gila River, Arizona Territory near the Pinal Mountains.
7. Skirmish in Lewis County, MO.



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Nov 05 1863 (Thursday)

After occupying Brownsville, Texas, Nathaniel Banks informs General Franklin that, "Our chances are better than I had ever supposed, but we must have more troops, and especially more artillery." Franklin is told, "I shall send vessels to Brashear as soon as possible for troops--within a day or two at furthest. Let them be put in preparation, but do not withdraw the force so as to notify the enemy of our purpose." So confident is Banks, that he sends a message to General Carleton, commander of the Union forces in New Mexico. "The forces of the United States occupy Brazos Island and Brownsville, upon the Rio Grande. It is our expectation that the flag will be permanently maintained here....The probability is that a successful movement...will so cover New Mexico as to make an invasion of that territory impracticable for the enemy."

MISSISSIPPI SQUADRON, FLAG-SHIP BLACK HAWK, Cairo, November 5, 1863. - Maj. Gen. N. P. BANKS, Commanding Department of the Gulf, New Orleans, La.: - GENERAL: I am now fitting out twelve gunboats, a little better than tin-clads, or at least with more iron on them, and by the time the water is high enough to operate you will have them with you. They will be armed with rifled guns and 24-pounder howitzers, and will not draw more than 30 inches....I may be able to do more after we drive the rebels back from the Tennessee River. The precarious position...[of] General Rosecrans' army...forced me to strain every nerve to endeavor to open communication with him up the Tennessee River..., and I felt quite uneasy about General Sherman, who was advancing to his assistance. An unexpected rise swelled the river, and I got up a large fleet of gunboats and transports. General Sherman arrived at Iuka..., and we ferried his army over in a very short time. That put matters straight, and we now command the position. Of course...I had to withdraw gunboats from every district to accomplish what was done, and, for moral effect, and to convoy transports, I have to keep them there. As soon as the water will permit, you will find me coming into the Atchafalaya or Bayou La Fourche with a good force....Hoping soon to be able to supply your wants, I remain, very respectfully, your obedient servant, DAVID D. PORTER, Rear-Admiral.

James Longstreet moves his command to Tyner's Station in preparation for the march into East Tennessee. When he learns that General Stevenson's division, already stationed near Loudon, is to return to the Chattanooga defenses, "Old Pete" complains: "I think that you greatly overestimate the enemy's force at...Chattanooga. I have seen the force every day...and cannot think it exceeds your force without Stevenson's division....If I am feeble my movements must be slow and cautious. This would give the enemy warning and time to strike at you....I hope that I may have been able to make my views understood. I am in the rain and mud, and find it a little difficult to write." Braxton Bragg replies: "It was never my intention for Stevenson's division (two brigades) to remain on your expedition longer than was necessary for you to relieve him....Your force will without Stevenson exceed considerably the highest estimate placed on the enemy, while here we shall...only have from one-half to two-thirds his numbers." Bragg continues, "I will devolve the duty on others to hold your communications..., so that you may devote your whole time, attention, and means to the primary object--to get possession of East Tennessee." Bragg's unwillingness to give full support to his operation worries Longstreet, who pours out his frustrations in a letter to Simon B. Buckner.

HEADQUARTERS, November 5, 1863. - Maj. Gen. S. B. BUCKNER, Commanding Division: - MY DEAR GENERAL: The weather is so bad and I find myself so much occupied that I shall not be able to see you to say good-bye. When I heard the report around camp that I was to go into East Tennessee, I set to work at once to try and plan the means of making the move with security and the hope of great results. As every other move had been proposed to the general and rejected or put off..., I came to the conclusion...that this was to be the fate of our army--to wait till all good opportunities had passed, and then, in desperation, to seize upon the least favorable one....I thought it gave promise of some result, and was therefore better than lying here destroying ourselves. The move, as I proposed it, would have left this army in a strong position and safe, and would have made sure the capture of Burnside....Under present arrangements, however, the lines are to be held as they now are, and the detachment is to be, say, 12,000. We thus expose both to failure and really take no chance to ourselves of great results....I undertook to explain the danger of having such a long line under the fire of the enemy's batteries, and...within twelve minutes' march of any portion of our line; but I was assured that he would not disturb us. I repeated my ideas, but they did not even receive notice....Have you any maps that you can give or lend me? I shall need everything of the kind. Do you know any reliable people living near and east of Knoxville whom I might get information of the condition, strength, &c., of the enemy? I have written in such hurry and confusion of packing and striking camp, &c., that I doubt if I have made myself understood. I remain, very sincerely, your friend, J. LONGSTREET, Lieutenant-General.

At Camp Chase, Ohio, William L. Pope, a private from the Ninth Tennessee Cavalry is shot to death for straying too close to the camp wall. Assistant-Commandant A.H. Poten reports, "Standing about six feet outside the gate of prison No. 2, I heard distinctly the sentinel..., stationed above the gate on the parapet, call out twice to a man inside to go back to his quarters and not approach the wall. About a few moments afterward the sentinel called again: 'Go back, or I shoot you.' He then fired, and the man Pope was shot, and died a few hours afterward. Since then the inmates...have been quite orderly." Pope is the second Rebel prisoner to be shot in the last month at Camp Chase. Poten explains: "Frequent reports were received...that a conspiracy existed among the prisoners, in connection with Vallandigham sympathizers outside, to overpower the guard and break out. In many places they were undermining the wall; arms were found in their possession; their mutinous conduct was increasing to such an extent that the guard had to be increased every night, and the order 'lights out' after tattoo renewed."

HEADQUARTERS POST OF CHICAGO, Chicago, Ill. - Affidavit of Corpl. Miller Wilson, Company A, Fifteenth Regiment, Invalid Corps, in regard to the shooting of William L. Pope, Ninth Tennessee Cavalry, at Camp Chase, November 5, 1863. My instructions were first to allow no man to come within four feet of the fence. Second, to halt all men twice. Third, when they refused to obey the challenge to fire upon them....I was on the parapet of Prison No. 1, and the prisoner, Pope, came out of the door of the barracks between 11 and 12 o'clock at night. He came toward the fence and came to within a few feet of the fence, when I ordered him to halt three or four times, but he did not stop and I fired on him. The ball went through his right arm and hip and completely through his body....MILLER (his x mark) WILSON, Corporal, Company A, Fifteenth Regiment Invalid Corps.

Other activity reported on this date:
1. Skirmish near Hartwood Church, VA.
2. Skirmish at Mill Point, WV, on the Greenbrier River.
3. Skirmish at Vermillionville, LA.
4. Skirmish at Hill's Plantation near Birdsong's Ferry, MS.
5. Skirmish in Loudon County, TN.
6. Action near Moscow, TN.


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Nov 06 1863 (Friday)

Shortly after Nathaniel Banks' men occupied Brownsville, General José Maria Cobos, who had been a resident of the town after being banished from Mexico, crossed the Rio Grande "with the men under his command, and took possession of Matamoras, imprisoning the Military Governor of Tamaulipas, Señor Don Manuel Ruiz, and all his associate officers." Cobos issues a proclamation to the people of Matamoras: "I have come...in answer to the call of Mexican patriots desirous of sacrificing themselves for the national independence and to put myself at the head of this handful of braves in defense of a cause so sacred....I know that you are groaning under an insupportable oppression, and that they have thought you docile to serve the caprice and will of a few, who, in this city..., absorb like bloodsuckers the public funds and the fruit of your labor." Shortly after taking control, Cobos is himself overthrown. Banks reports, "General Cortinas, having obtained evidence that Cobos...[was] plotting for a French supremacy in Tamaulipas, seized the reins of the government, arrested Cobos, and..., condemned him and two of his companions to be shot. The execution took place...in the presence of all the people of Matamoras, in the outskirts of the city. Cobos was shot by a platoon of troops. Vila, one of his principal officers, was permitted to run the gauntlet, and was shot upon his flight." Banks expects that Governor Serna will be restored to power. He explains: "It is understood that Cortinas will declare for the restoration of Governor Serna....The chief feature to be noticed in regard to Serna's politics is, that all parties represented by...Cortinas and Serna are Mexicans, thoroughly hostile to the French."

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, Brownsville, Tex., November 6, 1863--10 p.m. - Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief, U. S. Army, Washington, D. C. - GENERAL: I arrived with my staff at 12 o'clock, making my headquarters at Brownsville. The enemy evacuated the town at our approach, burning the United States barracks, and destroying large quantities of property which they could not remove. The conflagration extended to one or two squares of the town in the neighborhood of the barracks, which were also destroyed. The troops of General Bee's command gave themselves up to plunder and violence, which excited the citizens to a considerable degree of resistance....You will pardon me if I express the opinion, upon full consideration of all the circumstances of the case, that the flag of the American Government is raised at a most opportune moment. The crisis is upon us. Whatever may be the views or plans of Cobos or the revolutionists, it cannot be doubted that this movement has been in contemplation for long time, and that it is precipitated by the evacuation of the rebel forces and the occupation of the Rio Grande by our troops....It is apparent that there was a most perfect understanding between the rebel leaders and the parties under Cobos, both in Brownsville and Matamoras. Our unexpected arrival precipitated his movement before preparations were completed. It can hardly be doubted that, with his complete success, the French party would have been established in power in the State of Tamaulipas, the importance of which can be estimated when it is remembered that it extends from the mouth of the Rio Grande to Tampico on the Gulf coast, to Laredo on the Rio Grande, and covers the gap left in the French decree for the blockade of Mexico. I have the honor to be, with much respect, your obedient servant, N. P. BANKS, Major-General, Commanding.

After one final confrontation with Jeb Stuart last August, "Grumble" Jones was court-martialed and sent to command the cavalry in East Tennessee. Jones and Colonel Giltner organize an attack against the two small Federal brigades, stationed along the Rogersville Road, which protect Burnside's forces from Confederate advances from western Virginia. The garrison commander Colonel Garrard reports, "I was attacked this a.m. and totally defeated. I lost my guns and two-thirds of my command; rebel force not known as they were continually sending their troops forward. I think the whole of the Second Tennessee is lost. About one-half of the Seventh [Ohio] Cavalry is lost. The rebel cavalry was following us this side of Bull's Gap." When a large portion of the trapped Union forces escape, Jones blames the slow moving Giltner. He reports, "Had Colonel Giltner made a prompt and bold attack that would have discovered the position of the enemy before my dispositions were made, under the impression of his having abandoned his position, it is believed none would have escaped. The unaccountable delay, doubtless, has proved very detrimental to our interests."

HEADQUARTERS SECOND CAVALRY BRIGADE, Near Kingsport, Tenn. - Maj. THOMAS ROWLAND, Assistant Adjutant-General. - SIR: The march continued in a cold, chilling rain...until we were unexpectedly halted by the passage of Brigadier-General Jones' brigade across our road....As soon as General Jones' brigade had crossed I moved on slowly...in order to give General Jones time to reach the enemy's flank and rear before attacking him in front. But just as my advance reached Surgoinsville it was fired upon by a scouting party of the enemy....We came upon a body of the enemy in a strong position....We moved forward without delay, and on approaching Big Creek discovered that the enemy were in the act of crossing at Russell's Ford....Being cut off from the ford the enemy took a strong position on the opposite side of Big Creek....The men all went forward with the greatest enthusiasm, making no halt for balls, shells, or bullets....Without halting, a simultaneous advance was made by the three regiments across Big Creek, which, though deep and rapid, proved no obstacle, and up the hill on which was posted their other section of artillery, supported by their main force....Immediately on crossing the creek our forces encountered the enemy in a chosen position, where, after an hour's sharp conflict, they succeeded in capturing...about 450 of the enemy. The remainder endeavored to effect their escape by precipitate flight....I am, most respectfully, your obedient servant, H. L. GILTNER, Colonel, Commanding Brigade.

While Sam Jones' attention is firmly fixed on the action in East Tennessee, William Averell and Alfred Duffie are conducting a raid into southwestern Virginia to disrupt the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad. Duffie left from Charleston, while Averell departed from Beverly with instructions to combine forces at Lewisburg, West Virginia. When he approaches the summit of Droop Mountain, Averell encounters a Rebel brigade commanded by John Echols. Averell reports, "General Echols...assumed a strong position upon the summit of Droop Mountain, a position similar to that upon South Mountain, in Maryland...I turned the enemy's left with infantry, and when he became disturbed made an attack direct with four regiments of dismounted cavalry. The victory was decisive and the enemy's retreat became a total rout. His forces, throwing away their arms, became scattered in every direction." Sam Jones immediately sends a telegram to General Lee, asking for assistance. "General Echols was badly defeated...He is closely pursued by enemy, estimated at 7,000, mostly mounted....I fear he cannot escape the enemy's cavalry."

CAMP BAILEY. - Capt. R. H. CATLETT, Assistant Adjutant-General. - CAPTAIN: A brisk artillery duel was kept up and the skirmishing along the line became frequent and heavy. The increased rapidity of the firing on the left now gave notice that the enemy were there in force....It was evident that our men were largely outnumbered and were being driven back. At this juncture I was ordered to assume command on...[the left] flank....On reaching the scene of action it was evident that our little force was largely outnumbered and the enemy were entirely beyond both flanks. Our forces were retiring from the field in spite of the earnest and gallant efforts of...[the] officers to rally them....I now endeavored to rally men...and succeeded in collecting a considerable number together, when I received a communication from General Echols informing me that the whole right had given way, and ordering me to fall back to the main road and join him....I was then ordered by General Echols to proceed to the front and endeavor to rally the men, which I could not succeed in doing, as the whole road was blocked with artillery, caissons, wagons, and horses, which forced many of the men to take to the woods to escape capture, and which prevented anything like reorganization....I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, GEO. S. PATTON, Colonel, Commanding Brigade.

Casualties at Droop Mountain, WV: Union and Confederate combined 526.

Other activity reported on this date:
1. Skirmish near Cheat River, WV.
2. Skirmish at Little Sewell Mountain, WV.
3. Action near Rogersville, TN.
4. Occupation of Brownsville and Point Isabel, TX by Union forces.


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Nov 07 1863 (Saturday)

Nathan Bedford Forrest begins his new assignment in the Department of Mississippi. Together with his personal staff, Forrest has only 406 men in his new command. His new commander, Stephen D. Lee welcomes his new cavalry fighter. "I...regretted to hear of your separation from your old command....I am confident that 5,000 men can be raised in West Tennessee. I take this occasion to state...that...we shall not disagree, and you shall have all the assistance and support I can render you. I would feel proud either in commanding or co-operating with so gallant an officer as yourself and one who has such an established reputation in the cavalry service." Lee also informs Forrest that his brother Jesse, recently wounded and reported killed, is "doing well." Lee continues, "I will order Colonel Forrest's regiment to you at once, though it is not in good condition, particularly since the colonel was wounded. The colonel is doing well. He was paroled by the Yankees. I hope he will be fit for duty in six weeks. "

HEADQUARTERS FORREST'S CAVALRY COMMAND, Atlanta, November 7, 1863. - General S. COOPER, Adjutant and Inspector General: - GENERAL: In my application for a transfer to the Department of Mississippi for the purpose of raising troops in North Mississippi and West Tennessee to operate on the Mississippi River, I asked for Woodward's battalion, McDonald's battalion, and one battery. I...had Col. J. E. Forrest's regiment assigned me. Colonel Forrest was, so I have just learned, killed last week near Tuscumbia, Ala., and as the regiment...was composed of Alabama troops...it is my impression they will be unwilling to go, and if so I will allow them to remain in General Bragg's department. Major McDonald's battalion, my escort company, and the battery will comprise my entire command, which is wholly inadequate to the undertaking; yet I will use all the energy I possess to accomplish the object that I have proposed. Yours, most respectfully, N. B. FORREST, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

When he learns of the defeat of one of Burnside's outposts at Rogersville, Tennessee, U.S. Grant reacts swiftly. He reports, "Enemy have attacked the most eastern of Burnside's stations, capturing...about half the garrison....In addition to the force before threatening Burnside from the west, there is but little doubt but Longstreet is moving to join them. I have ordered Thomas to attack the enemy at the north end of Missionary Ridge, and when that is carried to threaten or attack the enemy's line of communication between Cleveland and Dalton." The news of Longstreet's move is brought by a deserter. Inspector-General Asmussen reports, "[The deserter] left Longstreet's corps..., night before last when he (Longstreet) moved to Knoxville with this force....Bragg's old army, he says, is all that is left in front of Chattanooga." Grant also sends an urgent message to "Cump" Sherman, exhorting him to move with all speed to Chattanooga. "The enemy have moved a great part of their force from this point toward Burnside. I have to make an immediate move from here toward their line of communications to bring them back if possible. I am anxious to see your old corps here at the earliest moment." Grant's plan is foiled when General Thomas reports that his men "cannot make the movement...for several days yet."

HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Chattanooga, Tenn., November 7, 1863. - Maj. Gen. G. H. THOMAS, Commanding Department of the Cumberland: - GENERAL: News just received from Major-General Burnside...is of such a nature that it becomes an imperative duty for your forces to draw the attention of the enemy from Burnside to your own front....I deem the best movement to attract the enemy to be an attack on the northern end of Missionary Ridge, with all the force you can bring to bear....Where there are not horses to move the artillery, mules must be taken from the teams or horses from ambulances; or, if necessary, officers dismounted and their horses taken. In view of so many troops having been taken from this valley and from Lookout, Howard's corps, of Hooker's command, can be used in this movement. Immediate preparations should be made to carry these directions into execution. The movement should not be made one moment later than to-morrow morning. You having been over this country, and having had a better opportunity of studying it than myself, the details are left to you. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, U. S. GRANT, Major-General.

George Meade divides his army into two wings, commanded by General Sedgwick on the right, and General French on the left, and advances towards Lee's defensive line along the Rappahannock River. Meade sends Sedgwick his orders: "The duty devolving upon you is to drive the enemy from his positions...on this and the other side of the river, and to move toward Brandy Station....Reaching Rappahannock Station before sunset, the enemy should, if practicable, be driven from this side of the river at once....A lodgment on the opposite bank at Kelly's Ford and an advance from that point toward Brandy Station is the task assigned to the column commanded by General French." Lee's light defenses at Kelly's Ford are easily brushed aside. French reports, "The head of my column is across the river. Captured 300 prisoners. Troops fording. Division across." However, General Sedgwick finds stout Rebel defenses protecting the bridge at Rappahannock Station. He reports, "The enemy's skirmishers were driven to their rifle-pits. These extended from the railroad a distance of 1,000 yards up the river upon a slope of excellent command. Near the railroad and upon the crowning points of this slope redoubts had been erected, which covered all approaches from the front. This position was one of unusual strength." After conferring with his commanders, "Uncle John" Sedgwick orders a dusk assault on the Rebel works.

HDQRS. FIRST DIVISION, SIXTH ARMY CORPS. - Lieut. Col. M. T. MCMAHON, Assistant Adjutant-General. - SIR: At sundown...it was my desire to storm the enemy's position, and a message was sent through...to Brig. Gen. H. G. Wright, commanding the corps, asking permission to do so. That permission was granted....Upon the command "forward, double-quick," the skirmish line...dashed on in a style never surpassed by any troops....Across the way as they advanced, the storming column encountered a formidable ditch..., filled with mud and water to an average depth of 3 feet. Crossing this they came to a plain broken with stumps and underbrush....But over every hinderance, in face of a heavy fire of musketry and artillery, the storming party pressed on with bayonets fixed and never pausing to fire a shot. The left wing of the skirmish line entered the smaller redoubt upon the enemy's right almost at the same time that the right of the skirmish line leaped into the larger redoubt and the rifle-pit extending from its left....A desperate hand-to-hand struggle ensued, the foe was overpowered and the works were ours....From the rifle-pits to the left of the larger redoubt, a severe enfilading fire was kept up upon the storming party. Those of the rebels in the redoubts who had not been captured, and many from their right unable or fearing to cross the river, were beginning to rally around their battle-flags planted upon the brink of the rifle-pits....I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, D. A. RUSSELL, Brigadier-General, Commanding First Division.

Robert E. Lee, unaware of the impending Union victory at Rappahannock Station sends his report of the day's action to Richmond. "The enemy...made an attack at Kelly's Ford, followed soon after by a demonstration in large force at Rappahannock Station." Jubal Early, commanding the forces trapped on the north side of the river, reports, "The wind was blowing very hard toward the enemy, so that it was impossible to hear the report of the guns even at a very short distance. I...remained with General Lee..., who...had taken his position on the hill occupied by Dance's battery....[The firing]...slackened somewhat, and...General Lee, expressing the opinion that the movement by the enemy...was intended merely as a reconnaissance or feint, and that it was too late for the enemy to attempt anything serious that night, concluded to retire. It was then nearly or quite dark, and while I must confess that I did feel considerable anxiety for the result of a night attack if the enemy should have the enterprise to make it, yet the confident opinion expressed by the commanding general disarmed my fears."

HEADQUARTERS EARLY'S DIVISION. - Lieut. Col. A. S. PENDLETON, Asst. Adjt. Gen., Second Corps, Army of Northern Virginia. - COLONEL: While I was making arrangements to send off two dispatches for General Ewell..., Major Hale, of my staff..., informed me that...he had seen some of [General] Hays' men, who told him that Hays had been driven from the trenches; but he stated that he did not believe this statement, as he left Hays and his men in fine spirits, and I did not believe it myself, as the firing seen by us did not warrant any such supposition. I, however, sent Major Daniel, of my staff, immediately to ascertain the state of things, and ordered Pegram to move up to the bridge with his brigade....I then started toward the bridge, and met Major Daniel returning with the information that he had just seen General Hays, who had made his escape, and received from him the information that the greater part of his brigade was captured and Hoke's brigade cut off, and the enemy in possession of the north end of the bridge....I then went near the river to ascertain if anything could be done to retrieve the disaster, but found it would be a useless sacrifice of my men to attempt to throw any of them across the bridge....I could not use the artillery by reason of the darkness and for fear of firing into my own men, who were prisoners in the hands of the enemy....I had the mortification to hear the final struggle of these devoted men and to be made painfully aware of their capture, without the possibility of being able to go to their relief....The enemy then poured over the trenches and all further struggle was hopeless, as there was no point for our men to fall back upon, and the bridge was completely commanded by the enemy. Our men, however, continued to struggle until they became completely surrounded. Many of them effected their escape in the confusion, some by swimming the river and others by making their way to the bridge amid the enemy and passing over under a shower of balls. General Hays owes his escape to the fact that after he was completely surrounded and was a prisoner his horse took fright and ran off, and, as the enemy commenced firing on him, he concluded to make the effort to escape across the bridge, where he was exposed to no more danger, as he had to run the gauntlet any way, and he fortunately succeeded without injury....Respectfully, J. A. EARLY, Major-General, Commanding Division.

Casualties at Rappahannock Station: Union 514 Confederate 2,023 (1,600 captured).

Other activity reported on this date:
1. Action at Kelly's Ford, VA.
2. Capture of Union pickets at Warrenton Junction, VA.
3. Averell and Dufie's columns unite and capture Lewisburg, WV.
4. Skirmish at Muddy Creek, WV.

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