October 20, 1862 - Monday - 160 years ago today

Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Crittenden's Corps - Wood's Division - Wagner's Brigade

As described in the last post, General Buell has decided not to pursue the Rebel armies into East Tennessee, and is moving toward Nashville to reinforce that city.  He is leaving troops in Kentucky to protect from cavalry raids; however, Confederate cavalry under John Morgan is at this time causing havoc there, taking Lexington and Bardstown, and destroying Union transportation as he goes.

What is seen from Washington is that the army stumbled into a bloody battle at Perryville, and is not following up the Confederate retreat.  It is not understood why a Confederate army can move to East Tennessee, and be sustained there, but a Union army cannot.  General Halleck sends a final message to Buell, urging aggressiveness toward East Tennessee, and the pursuit of a decisive battle: 

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WAR DEPARTMENT,

Washington, October 19, 1862 -- 1:33 p. m.

Major-General BUELL, Mount Vernon, Ky.:

  Your telegram of the 17th was received this morning, and has been laid before the President, who concurs in the views expressed in my telegram to you yesterday.  The capture of East Tennessee should be the main object of your campaign. You say it is in the heart of the enemy's resources; make it the heart of yours.  Your army can live there if the enemy's can.  You must in great measure live upon the country, paying for your supplies where proper and levying contributions where necessary.  I am directed by the President to say to you that your army must enter East Tennessee this fall, and that it ought to move there while the roads are passable.  Once between the enemy and Nashville there will be no serious difficulty in reopening your communications with that place.  He does not understand why we cannot march as the enemy marches, live as he lives, and fight as he fights, unless we admit the inferiority of our troops and of our generals.  Once hold the valley of the Upper Tennessee, and the operations of guerillas in that State and Kentucky will soon cease.

H. W. HALLECK, 

General-in-Chief.

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More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XVI, Chapter XXVIII, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 621-633.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. p. 86.
  
• Shelby Foote: The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville, pp. 726-741. 
• Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol 3. The Tide Shifts, pp, 600-603.
• Kenneth Noe, Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle, pp. 73-341
• Peter Cozzens, No Better Place to Die: The Battle of Stones River, pp. 1-14.
  

 

NEXT POST: OCTOBER 24TH