Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Wood's Division - Wagner's Brigade
The capture by Morgan's Confederate cavalry of the garrison at Gallatin, TN was another setback for Buell's army. Morgan destroys several bridges and collapses a tunnel, thus disabling one railroad and making it more difficult to move supplies.
It is known that Confederate troops are in east Tennessee, and Kentucky appears to be their object. Current rumors are that the entire Confederate force is in east Tennessee, but actually General Bragg still has the larger force at Chattanooga, having transferred two divisions to General Kirby Smith at Knoxville. Buell, with incomplete information, must protect against several possibilities.
Buell wants to concentrate in some force at McMinnville, TN. Nelson's division is already there and is near to the best route between Chattanooga and Nashville in anticipation of Bragg moving north.
On August 12th, Wood's divisions is ordered to McMinnville:
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HEADQUARTERS,
Huntsville, August 12, 1862
General Thomas, Decherd:
Order the two brigades of Wood's division at Decherd and Tullahoma to McMinnville, starting to-morrow morning. They will stop momentarily at points along the railroad to give it security until it is repaired and guarded. Push Wagner's brigade forward promptly to within 8 miles of McMinnville for that purpose. He ought perhaps to have a battery with him.
D. C. BUELL
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Note that General Thomas is giving orders to Wood even though they both command a division - having been combined, Thomas ranks Wood and assumes command as long as they are together.
Wagner's brigade moves at 4 A.M. on the 13th toward McMinnville. Wood, with the other brigade has to wait a day to repair his wagons, for which he is reprimanded by Buell. General Thomas explains Wood;s situation in another dispatch but Wood also feels the need to reply:
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Decherd, August 13, 1862
Col. J. B. FRY:
General Thomas informs me that the commanding general complains that the brigades of my division at this point did not move to-day. The order to move came near night-fall yesterday, and I could not have moved this brigade this morning without going in the most slip-shod condition. One of its regiments is absent, having been detached by General Thomas several days since, and I will have to go without it; will be back tomorrow. I will leave orders for it to follow me promptly. I reported the miserable condition in which my division train came back. Materials for the repair of them arrive only to-day, and it was indispensably necessary to put some of the wagons in a condition to transport and preserve ammunition; this is being done to-day. I trust the commanding general knows that no unnecessary grass grows under my feet when I get an order to march or when I am on the road. I had Wagner's brigade at Manchester at 10 o'clock this morning. I move at 4 o'clock in morning.
TH, J. WOOD,
General.
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More Information:
- Link: War Operations, see Volume XVI, Chapter XXVIII, Part II, Correspondence, pp. 301-333.
- The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 77-78.
- Shelby Foote: The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville, pp. 561-566.
- Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol 3. The Tide Shifts, pp,4-7, 31-39.
- Kenneth Noe, Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle, pp. 32-37, 42-46.
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