A Glorious Union or America: the New Sparta

[TheKnightIrish]

Chapter Forty-Six

Hard Times for Hardee
Part IV​

The Heartlands Campaign Discussion Group at the 38th Annual Civil War Conference at Louisiana State University hosted by Professor Douglas Lee Bannerman...

Now the Battle of Pulaski of the 15th and 16th of April is legendary among historians of the civil war because it defies large scale tactical study after the first hour or so. We know roughly where Hardee's troops started off - Cleburne was east of the town; his brigades spread over a number of connected wooded ridges and that his position was also astride the road to Lewisburg. Now the rebel position curved in a reverse C with Cheatham in the centre on more of those ridges and astride the Fayetteville Pike. Finally Breckinridge is south of the town slightly in advance of the ridges to take advantage of the killing ground of open farmland which is now Churchill Field aerodrome and the natural barrier of Richland Creek.

Rosecrans is coming down the road from Lawrenceburg hard on the rebels heels. This time Rosecrans carefully shakes out his formations: McCook to the right/south first; then Crittenden in the centre; and Thomas to the left/north. Nelson is still coming up to be held in reserve when Rosecrans orders McCook's attack across the open ground south of the town...

Liddell's Brigade halts G.A.McCook's and Turchin's attack ​

Starke: Rosecrans meant for McCook's attack to be a diversion with Crittenden and Thomas making the main assault, but McCook and the men of XX Corps get out of hand and in many ways turn in their performance of the war to date. While Sheridan's boys go toe to toe with Churchill's Division just south of the town, Johnson's Division, who have broken twice already in this campaign, pore across the fields of the Donahue farm. Richard Johnson realizes his men will have to wade across the creek and is inspired for the first and last time in his career - he directs some pioneers to take the doors off Donahue's barn and uses them as a makeshift bridge. It's inspired and unfortunately its his last act as he is killed leading his men across it. August Willich takes command of the division and actively leads it across in-spite of McCown's best efforts. Further south Union Jeff Davis is getting his division across the creek and onto McCown's left flank. Neither Breckinridge or McCown is really at fault here - Rosecrans outnumbers Hardee, therefore sooner or later Rosecrans would find Hardee's flank on one battlefield or another.

Breckinridge has the sense not to stand but orders a fighting retreat of McCown's and Churchill's Divisions back to the ridge line.

Keegan: And this is about where we stop mentioning army commanders, corps commanders, and even divisional commanders. With Breckinridge's withdrawal the whole rebel force is now positioned on these interconnected wooded ridges. Even today the ground is littered with little woods and hollows, surprising little glens and streams. In 1863 it was heavily wooded. From a command and control perspective for both attackers and defenders it was a nightmare.

It does however give us the opportunity to talk about the brigade commanders on both sides who excelled during the two day battle, that I for one class as the most confusing of the war. Who performs conspicuously?

Starke: No one after Breckinridge withdraws on the first day. Rosecrans' front lines make probing attacks to try to develop Hardee's line in the woods. Its damn difficult. Its only towards late afternoon and evening that Thomas is confident enough in his knowledge of the ground to launch attacks on Cleburne. Crittenden less so because to attack Cheatham he must expose his left flank to Cleburne.

Keegan: For me, on the second day, its Colonel Anson George McCook, of First Division XIV Corps and Brigadier General John Turchin of Third Division XIV Corps. Thomas struggled to make any impact on Clerburne's position. Cleburne's boys where quick to form barricades of logs and branches to the point where James S. Jackson believed the ground had somehow been prepared with abatis days in advance. The only scare put into Cleburne was just after dawn on the second day. A.G.McCook had reconnoitered the ground in front of him during the night and found a gap in Cleburne's line. The only problem was he couldn't find Rousseau or any other brigade commanders in First Division to back his own brigade in an attack. He did however find John Turchin, who frankly didn't care a damn for orders or the chain of command, and committed his troops in support of McCook's. They go through Archibald Gracie's brigade like a knife, killing Gracie. Preston Smith had a narrow escape himself.

Maguire: Ah but its Cleburne himself who stems the attack, personally leading Liddell's Brigade into the fray. Liddell does damn well, despite having two horses shot from under him. He takes the point and remains on foot for the remainder of the battle.

Keegan: Yes but the McCook-Turchin attack unhinges Cleburnes main line. He is forced to withdraw, in the end almost a mile! To what's now called the the Beech Hill-Blooming Grove position.

A 1980s photo of the stream bed up which G.A. McCook attacked.
The whole battle line was made up of similar ground ​

Starke: Now Cleburne gave Hardee good warning of his withdrawal, but Hardee's staff struggle to find Cheatham, so Cheatham's Corps stays put after Cleburne withdraws. Its John Palmer, commander of Crittenden's Second Division, who spots it. He has three solid brigade commanders in Charles Craft, William B. Hazen and William Grose. Palmer launches them at Cheatham's now exposed flank. All three brigade commanders go in on foot at the head of their brigades. Zachariah Deas' brigade is routed; then Chalmer's breaks. Walthall and Patton Anderson stand for a time until Withers, their divisional commander, orders the remains of his division to retreat. Of Crittenden's other commanders, only George P. Buell marches his brigade to the sound of the guns when Palmer attacks. He runs straight into George Maney of A.P. Stewart's division, half of whose troops are now facing the wrong way and puts them to their heels. Stewart promptly withdraws his whole division on his own authority without any clear sense of what's happening on his front. You begin to sense some panic beginning to spread among the rebels. Hardee's gamble of trying to use the ground at Pulaski to off set Rosecrans numbers is not working.

Townsend: The Confederates were not finished the fight yet. The Second Day of Pulaski is where Thomas James Churchill shines. He and his five brigade commanders, J.K.Jackson, McNair, Ector, Rains and DeLamar Clayton do what all good rebs do when under pressure - they counterattack. Churchill is adamant that Breckinridge was not around to be consulted. Its Churchill's fight. At around 1pm he hits Sheridan who is preparing his own attack and catches him by surprise. Colonel Schaefer is killed, General Sill injured, so only Lytle of Sheridan's original brigade commanders remains on his feet. The sight of some of Sheridan's men streaming from the wooded ridge into the open was an unnerving one for Rosecrans who redirects a division of Nelson's - meant to reinforce Thomas south to McCook instead.

Maguire: The most impressive thing about Churchill was not the attack but his ability in that ground to stop it and withdraw to his starting position.

A Union soldiers sketch of Palmer's attack on Cheatham's flank​

Townsend: Then not satisfied, he pulls out McNair and Ector, marches behind McCown's line, picks up Roger Hanson's brigade from an uncooperative McCown, and attacks again. This time at about 5.30pm and against Jeff Davis. Davis is caught, literally by surprise. Carlin, Woodruff and Post, the brigade commanders of First Division XX Corps, don't panic but they do withdraw a good distance. That's enough for Rosecrans to pull Nelson's remaining two division from supporting Crittenden and Thomas and sending them south.

Churchill's attack is enough to distract Rosecrans from Hardee's troubled centre. There is no third day as Hardee manages to get the word to withdraw to all his commanders. Hardee's gamble at Pulaski was a failure, but he would turn at bay one more time - at the Elk River on May 1st...

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Modern map of the ground of the Battle of Pulaski:

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=pulaski+tennessee&ie=UTF-8

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Any other views, feedback, questions or requests? All are appreciated.

 

[cornelius the noble]

I've enjoyed this timeline. I'm quite interested to see where this goes.

 

[Fiver]

Best thing I've seen here.

 

[sloreck]

Be interesting to see a naval update. Since the CSA has managed to alienate the Europeans, particularly the UK & also the Union is doing better, blockade running (and the use of Bermuda & Bahamas as bases for runners) will be reduced or almost eliminated. Expect the UK to actively discourage UK flagged vessels from trying to run the blockade, if the CSA tries to buy supplies in the UK (& France) especially military ones expect a strictly cash & cash (no cotton bonds etc) policy if military sales allowed at all. Of course, no building of CSN commerce raiders (CSN Alabama etc) in the UK now.

All of this may enable the Union to close Southern ports more rapidly than OTL (note Wilmington NC was "open" until almost the end of the war for example) as actually physically taking the port was the only way to completely shut down blockade running. More/better combined arms earlier on, and perhaps even an expansion of the USMC to do this as the army is otherwise occupied.... Needless to say, all of the above will make the CSA's supply situation even worse than it already is losing Richmond/Tredegar, more territory, & any European largesse. Of course, the dislocation of the government with loss of records and at least some bureaucrats who make things flow should mean that very soon Confederate armies will be short of rifles, powder, cannon, etc even if they have food.

 

[highwayhoss]

Be interesting to see a naval update. Since the CSA has managed to alienate the Europeans, particularly the UK & also the Union is doing better, blockade running (and the use of Bermuda & Bahamas as bases for runners) will be reduced or almost eliminated. Expect the UK to actively discourage UK flagged vessels from trying to run the blockade, if the CSA tries to buy supplies in the UK (& France) especially military ones expect a strictly cash & cash (no cotton bonds etc) policy if military sales allowed at all. Of course, no building of CSN commerce raiders (CSN Alabama etc) in the UK now.

All of this may enable the Union to close Southern ports more rapidly than OTL (note Wilmington NC was "open" until almost the end of the war for example) as actually physically taking the port was the only way to completely shut down blockade running. More/better combined arms earlier on, and perhaps even an expansion of the USMC to do this as the army is otherwise occupied.... Needless to say, all of the above will make the CSA's supply situation even worse than it already is losing Richmond/Tredegar, more territory, & any European largesse. Of course, the dislocation of the government with loss of records and at least some bureaucrats who make things flow should mean that very soon Confederate armies will be short of rifles, powder, cannon, etc even if they have food.

No kidding. The blockade IOTL was devastating enough. ITTL, I can see it becoming even worse; not only will the armies be worse off, but the civilian population will suffer even more (basically like the Richmond Bread riots on steroids.) Even if the Confederate Armies manage to hold off the Union in the near term, the supply situation could eventually cause the collapse of the CSA.

 

[Corder]

I wonder whether the "closure" of southern ports was because of the blockade or because of actual Union occupation of those ports. Although the blockade han't been covered, the Union troops destined for the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida which harassed southern ports, have instead been concentrated at Suffolk in the earlier Army of the James which got its ass handed to it by Lee at the Battle of the Blackwater.

(I've found a post that says General Robert Milroy commands a small force on the south coast but that's it).

I wonder if it means more "open" ports but less "traffic" because France and Britain actively discourage blockade running from its ports.

 

[sloreck]

True closure came from taking the ports - depending on the geography of a given port, choking off blockade runners could be easy or difficult. One fact about blockade runners most folks don't think of is that most were private ventures and carried mostly luxury goods (more profit). The CS government did charter some ships for exclusive use and also paid for military cargo to be carried in other ships. ITTL any blockade runner is going to want to be paid in specie (gold/silver) or maybe US currency. CSA currency, cotton bonds etc will be a no-go as I have mentioned. British antipathy will, at a minimum, mean no charters for ships for the CSA government so even if the number of private blockade runners remained the same it's less military cargo (assuming such stuff can be bought & sent for the CSA).

As mentioned, expect total number of blockade runners to be way down - even if the blockade itself is no more effective than OTL (which was variable). The dependence of the South/CSA on imported goods (whether from the north prewar or Europe) was huge. For example there were no pharmaceutical manufactories in the south, nor any companies producing surgical instruments. During the OTL CW surgical instruments for the military were either private instruments of the doctors, captured from Union forces, or imported from UK/France - never truly adequate supply/quality.

 

[TheKnightIrish]

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~26867~1100163:Vicinity-of-Decherd--Compiled-in-th?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:franklin%2Btennessee;sortub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=2&trs=18

The top left hand map is of interest to follow the Battle of Elk River...

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Chapter Forty-Seven

Hard Times for Hardee
Part V​

The Heartlands Campaign Discussion Group at the 38th Annual Civil War Conference at Louisiana State University hosted by Professor Douglas Lee Bannerman...

Hardee's forces know the route and ground through this part of Tennessee better than the Union forces. Through country bereft of anything we would recognize as a road Hardee's forces withdraw eastwards, staying north of the Elk River until it reaching the eastern end of the river and crossing in the vicinity of the towns of Winchester and Decherd.

Hardee stops and immediately begins digging in again. From Mann's Ford in the west to further north than the Bethpage Church, Hardee's troops dig in. Now in order to lure Rosecrans on, Hardee is careful to keep Forrest's Division in the rear with the brigades of Armstrong, Dibrell and Davidson ambushing and raiding the Yankees to keep their "appetites whetted". Once again Rosecrans' force gets strung out in the pursuit. Joseph J. Reynolds in the van, pursues Forrest to a point well north of Estill Springs before Thomas realises the rebel army has in fact crossed the river and that Reynolds is being led on a wild goose chase.

One of Forrest's Ambushes in the offing​

Rosecrans has had plenty of experience fighting Hardee at river crossings before. Thomas is around Estill Springs (boggy ground with a creek at his back - Thomas hates the ground). Crittenden has Samuel Beatty's Division covering Island Ford, and then west of another tributary creek is Brannan covering Hinton's Mill Crossing, with Palmer in reserve. McCook covers Lee Ford with August Willich's Division, William Passmore Carlin covers Owl Hallow with Sheridan drawn up in reserve at Shasteen's Mill. Then beyond both the Little Hurricane and Hurricane Creeks Nelson is coming up with XXIII Corps to cover Mann's Ford. Rosecrans plan is simple. Quietly Rousseau, Brannan and Sheridan will shift to Rosecrans' right, overnight, to support a flanking attack by Nelson, led by Stanley's Cavalry Division which is to secure the two lightly guarded fords west of Mann's Ford. With his line unhinged Hardee will have to withdraw to Chattanooga. Rosecrans' attack was to begin on the morning of May 2nd. Hardee's began on May 1st...

Starke: Hardee is a man, who in private correspondence expresses doubts about his fitness to lead an army. Particularly in the aftermath of Pulaski. But at Elk River you get to see why Hardee was by then a full general and why the Army of Tennessee (perhaps with the exceptions of Cheatham and McCown) was completely confident in him. Previously in these type of river engagements, and there had been several, Hardee defended and Rosecrans attacked. It was a simple formula and Rosecrans expected this one to be no different. Hardee however is close to being forced out of Tennessee and has begun to get the measure of Rosecrans and his corps commanders.

Hardee holds his flanks with reduced but heavily entrenched forces - Withers, with Buford's cavalry dismounted in support on the left between Simmons Mill and Mann's Ford, and McCown on the right between the Allisonia Crossing and the Bethpage Church ford. A.P. Stewart is behind Lee Ford ready to move but the real strength in depth is at (1) Hinton Mill Crossing - Preston Smith's Division plus McNair's and Rains' Brigades of Churchill's; (2) Island Ford - Bushrod Johnson's Division; and (3) The Railroad Crossings - Churchill with his remaining 3 brigades. On the flanks of this attacking force Hardee has placed his artillery in two batteries. One between Boiling Creek and the Widow Curl's House, and the second in the river bend at the Railroad Crossings. With artillery sweeping the Union position from the Fanning Farmhouse to the Emory Mill and beyond, Hardee hoped the attack, led by Cleburne would split the Union Army, already divided by the numerous creeks and tributaries on the north bank. It was a daring in many respects.

One of Robertson's artillery batteries​

Maguire: Yes Hardee had experienced at Pulaski that at a brigade level, the Army of the Cumberland could match the best of his own brigade commanders and the ground was such as to pit one against the other. At Elk River Hardee could fight on a level where the Union was weakest - Cleburne versus Crittenden and McCook.

Townsend: Lets not forget how courageous this move was. Hardee is still seriously outnumbered by the Federal forces. He is not being pressured by Richmond to attack (they are too busy with their own problems). Its his own choice in consultation with Cleburne and Breckinridge.

Hardee is a bit like the Duke of Wellington. We remember him as a defensive general. Wellington and his ridge lines; Hardee and his rivers. But like Wellington at Salamanca or Assaye, Hardee was capable of daring, if not always as successful, attacks. Now Jones, come on, lets here you explain away the Federal performance at Elk River?

Keegan: Hardee's attack would have been a foolish move against Kearny, Reynolds, Hooker or even Grant, but I will admit that Rosecrans was not in their league. Rosecrans biggest failure was in not doing something more active about getting rid of his under-performing corps commanders. Nelson was a disaster waiting to happen, Crittenden unreliable, McCook was very average and had been saved by the performance of his divisional commanders more than once. No only Thomas was any good and at Elk River he was in a terrible position against his better judgment.

Well then lets look at the battle then as Cleburne launches his attack at 5.30am on May 1st...

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Chapter Forty-Seven

Hard Times for Hardee
Part V​

The Heartlands Campaign Discussion Group at the 38th Annual Civil War Conference at Louisiana State University hosted by Professor Douglas Lee Bannerman...

Now I don't want to get bogged down in the tactical detail of the battle but to summarize for those less familiar with the battle: Cleburne's two division attack in the centre made up of Bushrod Johnson's and Preston Smith's Divisions steamroller over Samuel Beatty's surprised division, with only George Buell's brigade putting up much of a fight. Brannan's brigades are attacked in camp so the fail to form up cohesively and are also quickly put to flight. A.P. Stewart pushes across the river and pushes August Willich's Division back quickly. Only on the left where William Passmore Carlin forms his division and artillery into a square atop the Fanning Ridge, and on the right where Thomas quickly pulls the division of Jackson back across the stream behind Estill Springs, are the attacks blunted.

Carlin's Division uses fencing to fortify Fanning Ridge and fires on Stewart's advancing division
​

John Palmer's Division is placed into line by Rosecrans just south of the Hudgens Crossroads. Although they must face the bulk of Preston Smith's attack alone for a short while, Sheridan quickly forms on Palmer's right. These two divisions form a continuous thin line between Little Hurricane Creek and Rock Creek, as Willich forms his battered division in the rear. Brannan's men are too scattered and play on further part. Smith and Stewart try to break this hastily formed line, but all the while Carlin is still at the river, harassing Stewart's flank, while keeping Withers firmly on the south side of the river.

Churchill meanwhile likes the "Estill Springs Box" as little as Thomas does, so leaving two brigades to hold the sunken road south of the town, he sends John K Jackson's brigade to support Bushrod Johnson's Division. In the meantime Breckinridge "encourages" McCown to try to keep Thomas' attention away from the fulcrum of the battle at the crossroads. McCown threats to cross the river against the now alert division of Joseph J Reynolds, while Forrest crosses further north and seeks to harass the left flank of the Union army.

Thomas James Churchill leads the crossing of the Elk River
​

The key to the battle however is with Cleburne and the ground between Rock Creek and Spring Creek. With Beatty routed Rousseau tries to cover the road from Estill Springs, forming his men in a line between the Wade Farm and the Mount Olivet Church. As Thomas withdraws Jackson's Division back over Spring Creek these regiments are sent to support Rousseau's left. Cleburne cares nothings for Rousseau's left. His attack falls on Rousseau's right, forcing him back from the Church. Cleburne wants clear access to the road from Estill Springs to Hudgens Crossroads which means he can send troops into Palmer's rear. If Cleburne can push as far as White's Mill Crossing, he can get into the rear of Palmer and Sheridan.

Cleburne succeeds in pushing Rousseau back. The spare brigade from Churchill arrives just in time. Cleburne sends John K. Jackson across Rock Creek into Palmer's rear. The brigade on Palmer's left, alongside the creek, then does something amazing. William B. Hazen has his rear files turn about to fire on Jackson, back to back with the front files fighting Preston Smith's boys. It is only a temporary delay, and things look grim for Palmer. Hazen pulls out first down the Hudgens Roads. Then Grose and finally Craft. Importantly Palmer is not routed and seeks to form up again at the Hudgens Farm.

The Union position looks bad. Thomas is attacked on three sides. Crittenden only has one complete corps still on the field fighting. Carlin is now isolated. Sheridan is under pressure, and Willich has only reformed two rather shaky brigades. But Hardee has shot his bolt. He has no more reserves to put in. Rosecrans does. James B. Steedman, in command of the II Division of XXIII Corps ignored his commanders orders and immediately to the sound of the guns. He had to cross Hurricane Creek and march around the Little Hurricane, but at this critical juncture he could put the fresh brigades of Croxton and Francis T. Sherman into Rosecrans' line. Rosecrans directed the third brigade to White's Mill. Furthermore Thomas has realized Forrest, now dead in the camp of Reynolds' Division, and McCown were distractions. He focused on getting Jackson's division into a position to support Rousseau properly in preventing Cleburne's free access to the crossing over Rock Creek.

Hardee realized the battle would not be won by 2pm, as Nelson's remaining troops might arrive at any minute, and ordered Stewart and Cleburne to extract themselves as best they could back over Elk Creek, Smith covered the retreat and Churchill abandoned the Sunken Road. By about 4pm the rebel army was south of the river again. It looked like a bit of a drawn battle, but Union losses in dead, wounded and most importantly captured, were almost three times the Confederate losses. Although several Confederate Generals were injured or had close calls (John K. Jackson had 3 bullets holes in his coat and 2 horses shot from under him) and Nathan Bedford Forrest was dead, the Union casualty list among generals was considerably longer. Generals Edward Kirk and George D. Wagner were injured. Generals Thomas L. Crittenden and Milo S. Hascall were dead. General Samuel Beatty was captured. Losses among colonels were considerably higher.

Starke: I would like to mention Thomas and Churchill. We get caught up in the actual fighting that sometimes we miss that the best tactical decision is not to fight. When Churchill attacked James S. Jackson's division Thomas realized he would never be able to bring his superior numbers to bear in the little box formed by the Spring Creek and Elk River. So he personally pulls out the division as quickly as possible. With Jackson and Rousseau safely on the west side of Spring Creek and Reynolds' Division forming a "lid" on the box, it was a trap for Churchill to pour his men into. Churchill in turn reads the ground well and realizes that Thomas has no appetite to put troops back into the box. So he holds the sunken track way with as few men as possible and channels the remainder into a more promising attack. We see two insightful commanders who both read ground very well indeed.

Maguire: For me Elk River, unsurprisingly, is all about Patrick Cleburne. The three divisions directly or indirectly under his command - Johnson, Smith and Stewart, surprise and rout the Federal divisions of Beatty, Brannan and Willich. They effectively isolate Carlin, hold off Rousseau and Sheridan and in my book successfully drive back Palmer. With another division the day would have been his.

Keegan: "Another division". The eternal cry of the rebels in the Slaveholders Rebellion - "but for another brigade". I grant you its not a great day for the Army of the Cumberland but there are performances to be proud of. George Thomas, George P. Buell, John N. Palmer, William Passmore Carlin, William B. Hazen and James B. Steedman all performed well. I agree with Sheridan's assertion that "Steedman is one of the best of the type of volunteer generals". His actions stablised the battle and therefore turned it in favour of the Union.

Townsend: Jones ignores the unholy trinity of Nelson, who ignores the battle but doesn't press a crossing either, McCook who out his two virgin divisional commanders in front and then spent the day acting as Sheridan's shadow, and Crittenden finally who is a non-runner. We know little of what Crittenden did after Beatty brook but it was not much. His death by the hands of one of Cleburne's trained sharpshooters saved him the disgrace that would soon come to others.

Keegan: I forgot to mention the best Union performer of the day...Nadine Turchin! The slayer of Nathan Bedford Forrest during his raid on Joseph J. Reynolds camp and supplies. A better deed was not done that day. A fitting end for a raider, bushwhacker, overseer and lyncher.

Maguire: It is remarkable how the army, for morale purposes, raised up Mrs. Turchin's deed to offset its poor performance in the battle. I love the quotes it generated. Kearny's "If one woman in the Army of the Cumberland can whip the rebel cavalry, I suspect the Army might be capable of better" or Lincoln and Seward "William, I should put that woman in charge of the army don't you think. She fights", "Mr President, you already have a woman in command of the Army of the Cumberland. It just happens to be wrong one!"

The enviable husband of Nadine Turchin, John Basil Turchin​

Starke: The bottom line, the Army of the Cumberland has been poorly led, certainly at a corps level up to this point. They have never been able to bring their full weight to bear against the Army of Tennessee. The Confederates on the other hand are coming into there own at a command level. Hardee, Cleburne, Churchill and indeed Breckinridge sometimes have worked well together. But its a numbers game and Hardee didn't have them.

After Elk River both sides pull back for a bit to rest and re-equip. It was quite an intensive campaign with 5 major engagements and a score of smaller skirmishes. Rosecrans builds up Tullahoma as his supply base. Hardee knows he must defend Chattanooga. Both sides know this is a temporary respite but as both sides continued to skirmish on the Duck River for the next few weeks, none expected the terrific news from Richmond and then from Vicksburg...

 

[WXL1815]

Hold on - a woman just shot Nathan Forrest!? Who is Nadine Turchin and why is she in one of George Thomas' camps? Is she real?

 

[Wet Coast]

Hold on - a woman just shot Nathan Forrest!? Who is Nadine Turchin and why is she in one of George Thomas' camps? Is she real?

The wife of Brig. General John Turchin. She apparently traveled with her husband throughout the war. She was with the brigade wagons during the battle of Chickamauga.

 

[Corder]

The wife of Brig. General John Turchin. She apparently traveled with her husband throughout the war. She was with the brigade wagons during the battle of Chickamauga.

There is some evidence that she took command of these wagons during the battle and made sure vital ammunition got through to Thomas' troops.

 

[TheKnightIrish]

I will do a brief note on the death of Forrest shortly and then do another political overview as of the summer of '63.

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Appendix To Chapter Forty One​

From "Illinois Cossack and Union Princess" by Steven Chicoinot
Buffalo 1996

"Princess Nadezhda Lvova descended from an ancient noble family. Her father was a colonel in the Russian Army and her uncle, Prince Alexei Lvov, was a noted composer. Although she was brought up in army camps, she received an excellent education. Besides being the pet of her father’s regiment, she read extensively and became proficient in four languages...

When Nadezhda was thirty, she married Ivan Vasilovitch Turchaninov, her father’s Colonel of Staff in the Russian Guards. Ivan Turchaninov was born into a Cossack family in Russia and attended the Imperial Military School in St. Petersburg. Ivan fought in Hungary and in the Crimean War. Nadezhda and Ivan were married on May 10, 1856, in Krakow, Poland, three months after the Crimean War ended. Later that year, they immigrated to the United States and eventually settled in Mattoon, Illinois, where Ivan worked for the Illinois Central Railroad. They also anglicized their names to John Basil and Nadine Turchin...

John was greatly inspired by this new world: "I thank America for one thing, it helped me get rid of my aristocratic prejudices, and it reduced me to the rank of a mere mortal. I have been reborn. I fear no work; no sphere of business scares me away, and no social position will put me down; it makes no difference whether I plow and cart manure or sit in a richly decorated room and discuss astronomy with the great scholars of the New World. I want to earn the right to call myself a citizen of the United States of America”...

The Illinois Central Railroad hired John Turchin as an assistant to George McClellan, chief engineer and vice president of the Railroad. John Turchin had met George McClellan in Russia during the Crimean War when McClellan served there as a military observer for the United States. John Turchin worked for the Illinois Central Railroad until 1861, when he resigned to accept a commission as the colonel of the 19th Illinois Infantry. When the regiment went into training at Quincy, Nadine went with her husband, despite orders against wives travelling with campaigns...

During the march into Tennessee in the spring of 1862, Colonel Turchin was taken seriously ill, and for some days was carried in an ambulance on the route. Nadine Turchin nursed her husband during his illness, and also filled his place as commander of the regiment. She led with such an even hand that there were no complaints or mutinies against being commanded by a woman. In the battles that followed, Nadine was constantly under fire, encouraging, nursing, and rescuing the men. Initially the soldiers in the field called her Madam Turchin...

Princess of the Cumberland - Nadine Turchin before her immigration to the United States​

Madame Turchin remained in the field with her husband, in all of the campaigns of the West. She usually cared for the wounded, but if need be she led the troops into action, showing no fear of shot, shell, or whizzing mini balls falling around her. Although she constantly faced enemy fire, she didn’t receive a scratch...

The Chicago Tribune praised Turchin, stating that he “has had, from the beginning, the wisest and clearest ideas of any man in the field about the way in which the war should be conducted” and that he is one “who comprehends the malignant character of the rebellion and who is ready and willing to use all means at his command to put it down” after sponsoring his promotion to General at Chicago’s Bryan Hall. Colonel Turchin was given command of a new brigade and again, Nadine Turchin went with him. In 1863, she began to keep a diary. She considered her diary a discrete safety valve or as she termed it, “I think that it is an excellent idea to write a diary in the present situation. These pages, in which I speak frankly as I think, are a true safety valve for anyone who is neither patient nor discreet.”

She included her opinions of her husband’s fellow officers in her dairy as well as accounts of battles that she participated in, including Elk River fought on May 1, 1863. During the Battle of Elk River she stayed with the brigade camp and division wagons parked on the north eastern edge of the battlefield."

Chaos erupts as Forrest's Division raids the Union flank and rear​

From "Death of the Devil in Gray" and article by James Hearst in Illinois History Quarterly

"Breckinridge ordered Forrest's cavalry over the fords on the extreme right and into Thomas' rear. Joseph J. Reynolds' Division was the most exposed and Forrest, with Davidson's brigade, was soon in their rear. The division's tents were still pitched in camp; the supply trains just beginning to organize themselves...

Davidson's brigade stampeded first Miller's and then Wilder's wagons, gathering huge quantities of captured supplies and prisoners in the process. It was a wild rush through the Union rear...

Two miles from Bethpage Church, Forrest spied a more organised camp, where the Union wagons were already making for the rear and relative safety beyond the railroad line. Captain Henry Pointer takes up the narrative:

"The General detached two companies and we quickly caught up with the wagons. We rode up the line to cut off the leading wagon, and were nearly run down for our trouble. We over took the wagon again: I believe the General had every intention of shooting the driver, though it was peculiar to find one with any gumption...

We were all lost for words. There, with a negro orderly, was a woman, reigns in hand. A very fine handsome woman. The General was as about as gallant as he could muster. He said the damn Yankees on his part of the battlefield were whipped and she ought to surrender.

She didn't say a word. She just made a sound like harrumph! Pulled out a pistol and shot the General square in the chest. It was the only time I ever saw the General look surprised. She cracked the reigns and the wagon was off. I will admit that even with my experience I was simply shocked to my boots. We were a few moments longer before pursuing her than we should otherwise have been. But with the press of wagons, and with Stanley's Yankee troopers finally putting in an appearance from the direction of the Cummings farm we pursued her no distance, and well she got clean away. It was damn shame all round.

One of the preliminary sketches for Weldon's masterpiece of 1911, Angel of Elk River, showing the death of General Forrest​

From "Madame Turchin" by Mary Able Speight
Illinois State Press 1934

"She described herself in her diary as "a silent and angry witness to this miserable confusion...wagons and suttlers in full flight...they wretchedly frightened at the nearness of danger". She wrote of "galloping for two or three hours in all directions, on every road" in search of her husband until she found the division quartermaster and a handful of his wagons which he was trying to salvage...

She did as she had done before and took a hand in organizing the wagons as the sound of rebel fire increased and approached. She was more "frightened that she had anticipated". Her skin was windburned, her eyes burning, her lips chapped, and her throat parched - "near overcome" when the rebels approached...

Cutting her off and not having the courtesy even "to draw a gun on me who had but a moment ago tried to run them down", they demanded her surrender in "the crudest terms". "I did not go armed lightly and had no intention of being parted from my husband. President Lincoln could not part us, and neither would I let Jeff Davis". She shot at the nearest rebel and put the horses to flight as best she could...

Several hours latter "tired, covered with dust, and talking hoarsely" Madam Turchin found her husband safe and well. It was some time before General Turchin put the story of his wife's escape and the death of General Forrest together. It was only when the negro orderly, Abraham, identified the body of General Forrest before Generals Turchin, Thomas, Jackson and Rousseau (and some gentlemen of the press) that Madam Turchin's bravery was recognized by the whole army...

It lead to General Rousseau's famous observation "that the wives of this army with Madam Turchin at their head, would whip the rebels in a month"..."

 

[Darth_Kiryan]

John Basil and Nadine Turchin...

Now this is something impressive about the Civil War that i did not know about at all.

amazing.

Brings about another question. What about the Bourbon heirs who fought in the army of the Potomac? Prince Philippe and Prince Robert? Just curious if the POD changes anything to do with these guys.

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Now this is something impressive about the Civil War that i did not know about at all.

amazing.

Brings about another question. What about the Bourbon heirs who fought in the army of the Potomac? Prince Philippe and Prince Robert? Just curious if the POD changes anything to do with these guys.

I believe that they were already considering returning to Europe towards the end of the Peninsular campaign. They have departed upon the death of McClellan (on whose staff they served) as they would have shortly after in OTL.

Fitz John Porter is a non-entity as far as the French Princes are concerned, and I imagine Kearny as a bit of a Bonapartist from what I have read of his time in France, Italy and Algiers. He won't want these Orleanists on his staff.

 

[TheKnightIrish]

Now this is something impressive about the Civil War that i did not know about at all.

amazing.

Brings about another question. What about the Bourbon heirs who fought in the army of the Potomac? Prince Philippe and Prince Robert? Just curious if the POD changes anything to do with these guys.

Oh and on the Turchin's I recommend Stephen Chicone's "John Basil Turchin and the Fight to Free the Slaves".