OCTOBER 10, 1863:
General Braxton Bragg’s senior commanders mutiny.
Disgusted
at Bragg’s almost total lack of action during the “Siege” of Chattanooga capped off with the destruction of Joe Wheeler's cavalry force, they
send President Jefferson Davis a petition seeking Bragg’s dismissal.
Lieutenant
General James Longstreet writes: "Nothing
but the hand of God can save us or help us as long as we have our present
commander."
Nathan Bedford Forrest refuses to serve under Bragg ever
again. He tells Bragg to his face, "You
have played the part of a damned scoundrel . . . If you ever again try to
interfere with me or cross my path it will be at the peril of your life."
When he discovers the existence of the petition, Bragg relieves General D.H.
Hill and General Leonidas Polk, and reassigns General Longstreet and his troopers to Knoxville,
where he will be in combat against the less-than-stellar Ambrose Burnside,
U.S.A..
Longstreet's reassignment strips Bragg’s “siege” force to the bone, leaving him
unable to counter any possible Union attacks. What none of the Confederate
commanders is aware of is that the Union Army of The Potomac’s Eleventh and
Twelfth Corps are closing in on Chattanooga, slowed only by the low rivers,
which have made transportation difficult. The egos of the General Officers are spelling trouble for the Private Soldiers.
With the Army of Tennessee collapsing
from the top down, C.S.A. President Jefferson Davis reluctantly travels to Lookout Mountain
to assess the situation in person.
Union orders are issued to capture Davis if possible since Davis' trip is no secret. He makes several stump stops along the way to bolster the morale of loyal Confederate citizens. Being in the Chattanooga area puts him in between two Union armies. Only fortune spares him from being a Union hostage.
Davis eventually decides to leave Bragg in command,
denounces his other generals, and terms their complaints "shafts of
malice".
Davis’ typically partisan reaction alienates the Confederate President from most of his generals
for the remainder of the war.
No comments:
Post a Comment