Started By
Message
1
Posted on 9/17/13 at 4:08 am to BadLeroyDawg
Thursday, 17 September 1863
General Braxton Bragg, who had defended Tennessee so well for the Confederacy that he was now backed up into northern Georgia, had had a chance for the last week to attack General William Rosecrans' exceedingly scattered forces. Although several orders had admittedly been issued, for one reason or another no actual attacks had taken place. One result of this was that acrimonious notes, nastiness and name-calling were making the rounds between Bragg and his corps commanders. The other result of this was that the Union army was now reassembled in much better order, and Bragg had no choice but to attack the whole thing at once. The best plan he could come up with was a thrust at the Federal right, to cut off their line of retreat to Chattanooga. Unfortunately for Bragg, this thought had occurred to Rosecrans as well.
Reports of Confederate vessels building in the rivers of North Carolina were a source of grave concern to the Union authorities. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles wrote Secretary of War Edwin Stanton suggesting an attack to insure the destruction of an ironclad– which would be CSS Albemarle and a floating battery, reported nearing completion up the Roanoke River. Should they succeed in getting down the river, Welles cautioned, "...our possession of the sounds would be jeoparded [sic]."
The USS Adolph Hugel, Acting Master Frank, seized the sloop Music off Alexandria, Virginia, for a violation of the blockade.
The steamer Marcella was seized and plundered by Confederate partisan guerrillas, in the vicinity of Dover Landing, ten miles below Lexington, Missouri. Four soldiers of company A, Fifth M. S. M.--Edwin Ross, Chris. Sele, Martin Fisher, and Charles Waggoner — were on the steamer visiting their homes at the latter place, on furloughs. They were taken out and marched off with the assurance that they were to be exchanged for other prisoners or paroled. When the Rebels had marched about two miles, they stopped and divided the plunder and money, which employed them about an hour, after which the prisoners were put in line, and instantly the order was given to fire, at which Ross, Sele, and Fisher fell dead, but young Waggoner, finding himself unhurt, sprang away for safety, and though shot after shot rattled past him, he finally made his way uninjured to the brush, and went into Lexington.
A Confederate raid was made upon a collection of vessels on the eastern shore of Virginia. The schooners Ireland and John J. Houseman were taken out to sea, plundered, and set adrift. The schooner Alexandria was also plundered, and the government schooner Alliance, loaded with stores valued at thirty thousand dollars, was captured.
Chat Discussion
General Braxton Bragg, who had defended Tennessee so well for the Confederacy that he was now backed up into northern Georgia, had had a chance for the last week to attack General William Rosecrans' exceedingly scattered forces. Although several orders had admittedly been issued, for one reason or another no actual attacks had taken place. One result of this was that acrimonious notes, nastiness and name-calling were making the rounds between Bragg and his corps commanders. The other result of this was that the Union army was now reassembled in much better order, and Bragg had no choice but to attack the whole thing at once. The best plan he could come up with was a thrust at the Federal right, to cut off their line of retreat to Chattanooga. Unfortunately for Bragg, this thought had occurred to Rosecrans as well.
Reports of Confederate vessels building in the rivers of North Carolina were a source of grave concern to the Union authorities. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles wrote Secretary of War Edwin Stanton suggesting an attack to insure the destruction of an ironclad– which would be CSS Albemarle and a floating battery, reported nearing completion up the Roanoke River. Should they succeed in getting down the river, Welles cautioned, "...our possession of the sounds would be jeoparded [sic]."
The USS Adolph Hugel, Acting Master Frank, seized the sloop Music off Alexandria, Virginia, for a violation of the blockade.
The steamer Marcella was seized and plundered by Confederate partisan guerrillas, in the vicinity of Dover Landing, ten miles below Lexington, Missouri. Four soldiers of company A, Fifth M. S. M.--Edwin Ross, Chris. Sele, Martin Fisher, and Charles Waggoner — were on the steamer visiting their homes at the latter place, on furloughs. They were taken out and marched off with the assurance that they were to be exchanged for other prisoners or paroled. When the Rebels had marched about two miles, they stopped and divided the plunder and money, which employed them about an hour, after which the prisoners were put in line, and instantly the order was given to fire, at which Ross, Sele, and Fisher fell dead, but young Waggoner, finding himself unhurt, sprang away for safety, and though shot after shot rattled past him, he finally made his way uninjured to the brush, and went into Lexington.
A Confederate raid was made upon a collection of vessels on the eastern shore of Virginia. The schooners Ireland and John J. Houseman were taken out to sea, plundered, and set adrift. The schooner Alexandria was also plundered, and the government schooner Alliance, loaded with stores valued at thirty thousand dollars, was captured.
Chat Discussion
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News