A Glorious Union or America: the New Sparta
- Thread starter TheKnightIrish
- Start date
The 20th Maine is still in service in the 2nd Brigade (Chamberlain), I Division (Barnes), V Corps (Humphrey).
Ellis Spear has been transferred to the OMI as a result of injuries he incurred at the Battle of Pipe Creek following Chamberlain up Perry Hill.
Not sure what else to say except, thank you. Having considered the stories of all four and reflected on what we have seen, it is pretty clear that this war is definitely not going into the same happy category as the Mexican War - in the mind of the participants. It has been noted that between the advantages of victory and the presumed shorter duration of this war that Union casualties will probably be less - although the character of the conclusion of the war may challenge this assumption (pure and utter speculation). And from the perspective of those who see action, particularly in the east, it has been quite bloody enough. In fact the dirtiness to which this war has descended so far, combined with a presumably more decisive victory, should produce interesting effects but they probably will not be of the softening variety.
Actually, I cannot recall what impression the relative casualties of the Union and the Confederacy had on the Union participants, in retrospect. I know what we today make of it, but I really cannot recall there's. Certainly their experiences informed their writing, theories, and military practice in the West (although, without descending too far into an area that is not my bailiwick, I guess the Indian Wars would have been what they were regardless of of OTL Civil War experience).
The Whitman quote in particular is a chilling reminder of just how different this war has become. As a reader, I am now very interested in seeing just how different. This Civil War is fascinating but as it appears to be entering its final acts, the mind keeps turning to Grant's third war.
Again, thank you for the elaboration. Upton remains fascinating. Look forward to the next post.
My only half-decent reference work on the ACW is a translated copy of McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom - The Civil War Era", so expect a lot of "a little knowledge is dangerous" questions. But it's enough to make me thoroughly despise the CSA and all it's works, anything that makes them go away faster and/or harder is therefore awesome in my book. 
But it's enough to make me thoroughly despise the CSA and all it's works, anything that makes them go away faster and/or harder is therefore awesome in my book.
But at what price to the future USA? That's the question.
At Unknown's suggestion I am making a word document of the TL so far. I realized I had no record of it except as it appeared on this forum. It is prompting me to tidy up some of the bad spelling and grammar, and remove some of the "vanished" illustrations from the Word version.
Hopefully I will have time to complete that task and post another chapter here tomorrow...
Hopefully I will have time to complete that task and post another chapter here tomorrow...
I have a question concerning one of the units in the Union Army, namely 58th New York Volunteer Infantry, also known as 'Polish Legion'. In fact I don't know whether it was strictly Polish unit or whether it had simply a Polish company while the rest was recruited from multitude of other nationalities that inhabited New York at the time.
Commander of the outfit was Wlodzimierz Krzyzanowski - unsure whether he was a Colonel or Brigadier General (Wikipedia and other websites differ on that). My knowledge of this unit and this commander is very sketchy which is a shame.
Have you got any information on this unit and what they've been up to ITTL?
Thanks in advance!
Commander of the outfit was Wlodzimierz Krzyzanowski - unsure whether he was a Colonel or Brigadier General (Wikipedia and other websites differ on that). My knowledge of this unit and this commander is very sketchy which is a shame.
Have you got any information on this unit and what they've been up to ITTL?
Thanks in advance!
They are in Krzyzanowski's Brigade, II Division (Max Weber), XI Corps (Von Steinwehr - on leave) currently serving under Major General Sedgwick in garrisoning Virginia.
The 58th suffered badly in the Battle of the Rappahannock, under Schurz and Sigel. They fought off Lee's ambush on the first day and found themselves in an exposed angle on the second day. Ultimately Burnside and Humphreys had to reinforce them.
They were lightly engaged at Milam Gap at the outset of the Rapidan Campaign. Charles Devens commanded the II Division at Trevilian Station and the division would be the last of Von Steinwehr's into battle. They came off lightly compared with the repeated maulings Stahel's I DIvision suffered.
The XI Corps was in reserve at the outset of the Battle of Ashalnd near Perkins Farm. They followed Barlow (now in command of the I Division) over the South Anna River at fought against Hood at Lumpkins Farm. Jackson's attack on the second day angled away from the XI Corps portion of the line so they were lightly engaged that day.
The XI Corps only made diversionary attacks at Richmond and thus was spared the worst of the night fighting for the fortifications.
By now Krzyzanowski was senior enough to expect a divisional command, but Von Steinwehr and he did not see eye to eye, and the Brunswicker blocked his promotion at that time so Max Weber (who had been wounded at Ashland) was accepted into the corps as II Division commander.
They were heavily engaged at Gettysburg, around Wolf Hill. They pushed back Nathan Evans' South Carolinians only to be flanked by Pettigrew's brigade. The 58th would follow General Meade in the gallant counterattack that saved the day, though it cost General Meade his life.
The regiment was involved in the lackluster demonstration at Pipe Creek by the XI Corps which petered out by midday.
Battered almost beyond recognition at Gettysburg, the corps was transferred to Virginia (swapped for the II Corps) to reorganize and rest, and there it remains...
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He got his way. Companies of recruits are organized in the state (and thus captains and below can be appointed by the governor) for a specific regiment. Once with the regiment it is up to the Colonel whether to keep the new company or split it up among his old. Both Lincoln and Stanton agreed with Kearny that the old method (favoured by governors) was detrimental to morale and experience. Kearny also greased the wheels of his proposal by gaining the acquiescence of a number of governors before hand - Curtin of Pennsylvania, Blair of Michigan and Olden of New Jersey among them. The fact that most current officers, especially the West Pointers, agree wholeheartedly with this policy also helps.
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Having saved the Tl to date into a word document I discovered how to make a cloud - having removed lots of common words...
Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen I Can Make Men Follow Me To Hell
Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen
I Can Make Men Follow Me To Hell
I Can Make Men Follow Me To Hell
From “A Thunderbolt on the Battlefield – the Battles of Philip Kearny: Volume III” by Professor Kearny Bowes
MacArthur University Press 1962
“General Kearny arrived back to General Reynolds’ Headquarters at Davidson’s Farm on the Catawba with a plan of action. If General Longstreet stayed true to form he would only remain in the works at Charlotte if the Army of the Potomac threatened a direct assault. Once the risk of encirclement presented itself, Longstreet would withdraw. General Kearny intended to offer General Longstreet the head on assault that he sought…
General Andrew Humphreys’ V Corps would have the honor of assaulting the isolated posts of Kings Mountain and Crowder’s Mountain, west of the Catawba River. In addition to his own three divisions (Barnes, Ayres and Crawford) he would be supported by Major General Orlando Willcox’s III Division of IX Corps. Kearny expected Humphreys to seize these objectives…
General Reynolds’ would orchestrate a second attack on the main works on a front covering Fort Latta, The Hornet’s Nest Works and Fort Wedgewood. This would involve General Hancock’s I Corps and Baldy Smith’s II Corps with Stevens’ remaining two divisions from IX Corps in reserve. Kearny expected this second attack, on the main works, would fail…
For the perhaps the first time General Kearny’s ruthlessness was apparent. He wished to “encourage” the Rebels to remain at Charlotte for his own strategic reasons. In order to do so he would offer them the battle the so desperately sought on the terms they desired…”
From “Kearny the Magnificent” by Roger Galton
NorthWestern
“General Kearny loved war, but he loved his armies too. He had avoided the worst excesses of frontal daylight assaults seen elsewhere in the war. Now, in order to achieve his war-winning objective, he felt he no longer had an option…
It was the argumentative William F. Smith, old Baldy, that raised an issue that was on many minds - with the war clearing coming to a conclusion there was a certain growing reluctance among the men to take risks; to press home attacks. Before the assembled commanders Kearny harked back to a comment he had made as the army had entered North Carolina. “I shall continue to the press the enemy…keeping him on the run until he must turn, stand and do battle…when that time comes I shall destroy him…to accomplish this I shall do all I deem necessary” and then he would go on to add “Shirkers and malingers in any command will be regarded as deserters…and dealt with accordingly”. General Smith must not have looked satisfied for General Kearny’s next remark was aimed at him “General if you cannot get your men to fight I shall lead your corps into the fight. I can make men follow me to Hell”…
From “The North Carolina Campaign” by Thomas R. Yetters
Buffalo 2006
“The preparations for the attacks were not missed by General Longstreet whose troops had a view over much of the battlefield. Furthermore Stuart’s cavalry, though much reduced in number, had reverted to small unit patrols to watch the Union Corps and so Longstreet remained well informed about the location of the Union troops. Any further questions which Longstreet had were usually answered by the Northern papers (and a few Virginia Unionist publications) which still flowed into Charlotte…
General Longstreet reached the same conclusions as General Kearny. He could not hold his outposts west of the Catawba, but any assault on his northern works must fail…”
From "Always The General - The Life of John Fulton Reynolds" by Jed Bradshaw
Penn State 1999
“As dawn broke on the morning of 12th July General Reynolds gave General Humphreys his final orders at Humphreys’ Headquarters at Tryon House. Within minutes the V Corps was advancing on the fortifications at Kings Mountain - the divisions of James Barnes and Romeyn B. Ayres from the north, and the division of Samuel Crawford from the west. Their opposition did not at first sight appear significant - brigades from the Army of Northern Virginia under Brigadier General and Colonel James K. Marshall with a brigade of militia under Colonel John H. Nethercutt, and some artillery under Lieutenant Colonel John J. Garnett. The whole was under the command of Major General Henry “Harry” Heth. However the strength of the works cannot be overstated. General Reynolds expected bloody work that morning…”
From “The North Carolina Campaign” by Thomas R. Yetters
Buffalo 2006
“General Jackson’s instructions to General Heth were not as inspiring as General Kearny’s exhortations to the Union troops. The rather jovial Heth recounted General Jackson’s grim sentiments to his Union gaolers “General Heth - you must kill five of those people, those invaders, for everyone of ours lost. Do that and though every one of you falls we will still have a victory”…
General Hunt had placed Colonel Charles S. Wainwright in command of the Union artillery west of the Catawba and it now opened up a fearful bombardment of the Confederate works as the V Corps advanced…
Crawford’s advance from the west was slowed by flanking artillery fire from Crowder’s Mountain. Barnes’ advance was slowed by an unexpected obstacle, Potts Creek. The first attack was carried out by the men of Ayres’ II Division largely unsupported. They were repulsed. Brigadier Stephen H. Weed was injured and Brigadier Hannibal Day was killed. General Day was the oldest man in the Army of the Potomac after General Greene. His body was found with one hand on the Rebel works. No one from Ayres’ command had advanced further in that attack…
Recently promoted Brigadier Hannibal Day
As Ayres’ troops fell back, Barnes launched his assault. The brigades of Jacob B. Sweitzer, Joshua Chamberlain, and Patrick Guiney pressed forward. The two lawyers and the professor lead their attack courageously and decisively. Stalled briefly at the foot of the main works, it would be Colonel Adolph von Hartung of the 74th Pennsylvania who would break the deadlock. The former Prussian officer took the regimental flag, planted it half way up the earthworks in a broken section of chevaux de frise, and with a cry of “Gott Mit Uns” led the renewed attack forward. For his courage he would obtain a Kearny Cross. The 74th Pennsylvania of Sweitzer’s Brigade would have the honor of being the first into the rebel works at Kings Mountain, followed by the 20th Maine and 44th New York of Chamberlain’s Brigade. Such of Marshall’s troops as could escape fell back on Crowder’s Mountain. More than a few would fall with a bullet in the back…
With Kings Mountain in his hands, General Humphreys pushed Crawford’s and Barnes’ divisions forward against the field works at Crowder’s Mountain. As a precaution he ordered up Willcox’s Division as far as Kings Mountain…
"Gott Mit Uns!"
Some of the works at Crowder's Mountain
The position at Crowder’s Mountain, which was more of a long ridge running south west to north east, was actually too long to be defended effectively by the limited number of troops at Heth’s disposal. With only a handful of militia occupying the extreme left wing of his works, it should have been a simple matter for Crawford to break through where the Bethlehem Road, cut the ridge, but the for the second time that day Crawford bungled his attack. The artillery fire that morning seemed to have sapped the will of Crawford and his brigade commanders, William McCandless and Francis B. Spinola to press home. It was Barnes’ division that again bore the brunt of the fighting…
Patrick Guiney, one the many Irish born soldiers in the Army of the Potomac, thought he had identified a weak spot on the left near Freedom Mill, but with all three brigades engaged, Barnes’ had no one to exploit it. Humphreys responded to Guiney’s observation by releasing the brigades of John F. Hartranft and Thomas Welch, from Willcox’s Division, to attack the Rebel right. Guiney was right. The IX Corps troops burst through the militia battalion holding the works near Freedom Mill. The position at Crowder’s Mountain was lost and Heth quickly lost control as first the militia and then the regulars broke and ran for the river. Few would make it back to the Catawba defenses and Heth would become a guest of his former West Point classmates, Willcox and Ayres…
Humphreys had seized his objectives, albeit with heavy losses in Ayres division. In doing so had smashed three rebel brigades (though one was militia) which would never effectively reorganize. The course of events on the eastern bank of the Catawba was going rather differently…”
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Sorry folks - I have lost the ability to colour names for some reason. The code just appears instead half the time so I get:
Kearny followed by
COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Kearny[/COLOR] (I have removed a couple of brackets to illustrate my point. I know there needs to be square brackets at either end).
Kearny followed by
COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Kearny[/COLOR] (I have removed a couple of brackets to illustrate my point. I know there needs to be square brackets at either end).