June 10, 1862 - Tuesday - 160 years ago today

Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Wood's Division

As noted on the post for June 6th,  Wood's division had been ordered to rebuild bridges, and then had been ordered to move quickly to Decatur, AL.  By the 10th, two of Buell's other divisions had been ordered to Decatur, and Wood was now being encouraged to rebuild bridges as fast as possible.  Some of this seeming confusion arose due to new concerns about Middle Tennessee.

It will be recalled that the division of General Mitchel led the advance of Buell's army into Nashville.  All of the other divisions under Buell (except one division in East Tennessee) had gone to western Tennessee, arriving at Shiloh on the second day of the battle.  Mitchel's division had remained in central Tennessee, and been expected to manage control that territory.   This was doable while both the Confederate and Union armies massed around Corinth.  Now, however, Confederates were moving into Middle Tennessee and Mitchel, widely spread out and with only one division, feared being overwhelmed.

Once the pursuit of the Confederate army south from Corinth was done, General Halleck ordered Buell to move his army back toward Middle Tennessee by moving to Decatur, AL and aiding Mitchel as well as rebuilding the railroad from Corinth to Decatur.  It seems from the correspondence that Wood's division is now focused on restoring the railroad and bridges.  Below is Wood's dispatch on the situation on June 9th:

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BEAR CREEK,

June 9, 1862

 

Colonel J. B. Fry:

 The order to send a brigade to Tuscumbia has rendered a change necessary on the plans I had previously made for protecting the work on the road.  I have sent a regiment to Buzzard's Roost Creek Bridge to encamp and furnish the requisite fatigue parties.  A regiment will be sufficient for this purpose, and will be in supporting distance of the main force.  I know not how imminent may be the danger General Mitchel is in, nor do I know the cause of great value of time in opening communication with him, but presume that he may be threatened with an attack by a superior force.  I think it proper to state that I do not think support can be sent to him in time, if his danger is imminent, if the movements of the re-enforcements are delayed till communication is open by rail.  I will press the work as rapidly as possible, and by a judicious distribution of the working parties try to have as many bridges as possible being worked at the same time.

TH, J. WOOD

Brigadier-General.

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More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume X, Chapter XXII, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 267-296.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. p. 72-73.
  
• Shelby Foote: The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville, pp. 541-544.
  

 

NEXT POST: JUNE 14TH