September 26, 1862 - Friday - 160 years ago today

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

On the 23rd, orders were sent to relieve General Buell and place General Thomas in command, these to be withheld if a battle was being fought, or about to be fought.  These orders had not been delivered by the 26th.  Union divisions were still coming into the Louisville area, and most had arrived on the 26th.

Buell, in addition to commanding his original divisions (including two divisions sent by General Grant), also assumed command of all the new regiments that had been sent from Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.  He was attempting to regroup and reorganize, rather than thinking of an attack on the two Confederate armies that were still not united.  Smith remained at Lexington, and Bragg was at Bardstown.

Wood's division was not in Louisville, but remained near Bowling Green, and Wood had been ordered to combine with Thomas and another division at Oakland, KY,

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HEADQUARTERS, ARMY OF THE OHIO

Louisville, September 26, 1862

Maj. Gen. GEORGE H. THOMAS,

Commanding First Division:

   GENERAL:  General Buell desires the First, Fifth, and Sixth Divisions to occupy a certain line of battle which will be pointed out to General Thomas by Captain Gilman, of this staff, and with a view of taking up their positions to-night if necessary or to-morrow.  The general wishes Generals Wood and Crittenden to join General Thomas at Oakland this afternoon and examine the ground before dark, and also look at the ground for a mile or so in front.  Major-General Thomas will be in command of this line and will give such directions to the three divisions as may be necessary.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. M. WRIGHT.  

Assistant Adjutant-General

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The reason for this activity is not clear given that Bragg's army is some distance away to the northeast.  We can speculate that this is based on some kind of  received information from army reports, local informants or captured troops. 

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XVI, Chapter XXVIII, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 536-549.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. p. 85.
  
• Shelby Foote: The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville, pp. 711-714. 
• Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol 3. The Tide Shifts, pp,4-14.
• Kenneth Noe, Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle, pp. 73-90.

 

NEXT POST: SEPTEMBER 30TH

September 22, 1862 - Monday - 160 years ago today

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

By the 22nd, General Buell had all his divisions moving quickly toward Louisville, where he intended to regroup and prepare an advance on Confederate positions by October.  General Nelson, who Buell had sent north several weeks before, awaited him with the new troops sent from Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

General Bragg had moved to Bardstown, KY, arriving on the 22nd, and intended to merge his army with the other Confederate army under General E. Kirby Smith.  Kirby Smith, however, did not get the correct message, and the merger did not happen as intended, with only the transfer of two brigades from Kirby Smith to Bragg.

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XVI, Chapter XXVIII, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 526-536.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. p. 85.
  
• Shelby Foote: The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville, pp. 650-661. 
• Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol 3. The Tide Shifts, pp,4-12, 31-44.
• Kenneth Noe, Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle, pp. 62-76.

 

NEXT POST: SEPTEMBER 26TH

September 18, 1862 - Thursday - 160 years ago today

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

During this time, Generals Buell and Bragg mirrored each other in indecisiveness.  Both had executed fast marches from Tennessee into Kentucky on minimal rations, both considered their army to be outnumbered, and both had their forces scattered.  Bragg was far from his base at Chattanooga, and Buell was cut off from his supply base at Louisville.

Bragg captured the Union garrison at Munfordville that had successfully resisted capture earlier.  Bragg then became doubtful about further attacking Union forces, and began to consider uniting with the other Confederate army under General Kirby Smith at Bardstown, which was about equally distant between the two.

Buell meanwhile continued north, and had decided to attack Bragg at Munfordville.  He began to reconsider, based on reports from his defenders that had surrendered at that town.  In the end, he decided to hurry all his divisions toward Louisville, to reconnect supply lines and meet up with the troops sent out from Louisville toward his position at Bowling Green.

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On the 17th the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg) is fought in Maryland.  This battle is known for having the largest single-day casualties in the entire Civil War.  Union dead are 2108, with 9549 wounded, for the Confederate army, 2700 killed and 9024 wounded.  General Lee's Confederates are forced to retreat back into Virginia.

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XVI, Chapter XXVIII, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 519-526.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. p. 81-85.
  
• Shelby Foote: The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville, pp. 650-659. 
• Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol 3. The Tide Shifts, pp,4-10, 31-42.
• Kenneth Noe, Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle, pp. 62-72.

 

NEXT POST: SEPTEMBER 22ND

September 14, 1862 - Sunday - 160 years ago today

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

General Buell had been gathering his forces at Bowling Green, KY.  Wood's division had reached there by now, and Thomas was also coming, leaving a single division to protect Nashville.  

This deployment had turned out to be correct, as Bragg's Confederate army had moved to Glasgow, KY, about 25 miles to the east.  One of Bragg's divisions had captured Cave City, where they blocked the railroad and cut the telegraph connection between the Union's two forces.  The other Confederate army, under General Kirby Smith, remained near Lexington, threatening action against either Louisville or Cincinnati.

On the 14th, two separate Confederate forces had united to attack Munfordville, KY, presuming it to be lightly defended.  This was mistaken, and the attack was repulsed, with Confederates retreating to Cave City.

Buell would continue moving northward, and a battle appeared to be imminent near Cave City as Buell would have to go through there to reconnect with Union forces between there and Louisville.

Map -  Buell at Bowling Green, Bragg at Glasgow and Cave City:

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XVI, Chapter XXVIII, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 505-519.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. p. 80-81.
  
• Shelby Foote: The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville, pp. 650-659. 
• Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol 3. The Tide Shifts, pp,4-10, 31-42.
• Kenneth Noe, Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle, pp. 62-72.

 

NEXT POST: SEPTEMBER 18TH

September 10, 1862 - Wednesday - 160 years ago today

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

September 7th finds Wood's division north of Nashville on the road toward Gallatin.  The next day Wood is ordered to move his infantry to Bowling Green, KY by Gallatin and Mitchellsville, TN, and to throw a cavalry force out to the east near Hartsville, TN to look for Bragg's army and protect the column from a surprise attack.

General Buell believes that Bragg is taking his army north to unite with Kirby Smith.  He will move most of his army into Kentucky while trying to retain Nashville.

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Nashville, TENN.,  September 10, 1862 -- 12 m.

His EXCELLENCY ABRAHAM LINCOLN:

   Bragg is certainly this side of the Cumberland Mountains with his whole force, except what is in Kentucky under Smith.  His movements will probably depend on mine.  I expect that for the want of supplies I can neither follow him nor remain here.  Think I must withdraw from Tennessee.  I shall not abandon Tennessee while it is possible to hold on.  Cut off effectually from supplies, it is impossible for me to operate in force where I am: but I shall endeavor to hold Nashville, and at the same time drive Smith out of Kentucky and hold my communications.

 

D. C. BUELL.  

Major-General

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Wood writes on the 10th that he expects to reach Bowling Green, KY that night.

More Information:

• Link: War Operations, see Volume XVI, Chapter XXVIII, Part II, Correspondence,  pp. 492-505.
• The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. p. 80.
  
• Shelby Foote: The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville, pp. 650-657. 
• Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol 3. The Tide Shifts, pp,4-7, 31-42.
• Kenneth Noe, Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle, pp. 62-66.

 

NEXT POST: SEPTEMBER 14TH