The Confederate Union War

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The Confederate Union War Page 11

by Alan Sewell


  The President sighed and looked at Cump. “I apologize if I sounded flippant with my answer. I am in need of advice from a military expert. I can’t spare any of my field commanders to leave their positions to stand at my side. But I do know that I am lacking in the perspective I need to understand this war and to engage us as effectively as possible in fighting it.”

  The President addressed John and Cump. “Would the two of you be available to meet with me at the Hargreaves House tomorrow morning at nine? Secretary of War Cameron and I will pick up the telegrams at the War Department when we get back tonight and see what mischief the enemy is making for us. I would very much like to hear Cump’s opinion on how he thinks we should respond to it.”

  13

  Wabash River, Indiana, October 1, 1861

  From his horse on the west bank ridgeline Stoneballs Jackson watched his men surging across the Wabash. He had organized the tallest into a “human chain” across the river, their arms interlocked. They were placed so as to catch any of the shorter men who slipped on the muddy bottom while crossing upstream.

  Stoneballs watched one man get swept off his feet by the current. Frozen with fear, the footloose man latched on to one of the tall men downstream and showed no sign of moving. Stoneballs laughed when the tall fellow finally lost patience, unlocked his arm, and punched the terrorized man in the nose. That got him moving toward the other side as fast as he could by grabbing each tall man’s shoulders then sidling on to the next.

  But most of the men were crossing without incident. The cavalrymen forded on their horses. The infantry threw their guns and equipment into the boats being towed across the river by ropes held by the men on the other side. The men seemed cheerful as they climbed out of the river on the other bank. The cold wind and chilling drizzle of yesterday had passed. Now the sun, still strong at this early autumn season, shone through. Though only mid-morning, it was already a brilliantly sunny day of low humidity. The sun steamed the men’s uniforms as they dried. Some took off their shirts. They frolicked with the joy of a victorious army on the march. Stoneballs could hear their laughter echoing across the river.

  Yesterday’s storm has blown over. I hope it’s the last one until we get Grant’s army encircled. After that it won’t matter. We’ll be able to use the railroads to advance on Chicago in good weather or bad. The railroads will make this a war of rapid maneuver such as the world has never seen!

  Stoneballs shifted his gaze to the engineers laying a pontoon bridge across two dozen requisitioned boats anchored in the river a hundred yards upstream. The bridge was being laid at every angle except straight and level as it bobbed up and down over the uneven decks of the different sized boats. The flooring was a makeshift construction of barn sidings braced by fence posts taken from the surrounding farms. A frugal man, Stoneballs sighed as he contemplated the disbursements the government would be making to the farmers to compensate them for their demolished outbuildings and confiscated boats.

  This crossing was exactly the sort of thing that Stoneballs excelled at. Any other commander would have insisted on crossing the Wabash with pontoons of uniform size specifically manufactured for the task. Accumulating those would have delayed the offensive for months, probably into next year. And their delivery surely would have alerted the enemy that an attack was coming. Stoneballs saw himself as the chief organizer of simplicity. He had told his engineers to use whatever materials were at hand to get his men across. The bridge they were improvising was far from elegant but it would suffice.

  At any rate this crossing would be gone and forgotten in a few days. The half-dozen other improvised crossings across the five-mile breakthrough front on the Wabash would be forgotten as well, because if all went as planned they would no longer be needed. Once Terre Haute fell to the south and Urbana fell to the northwest the offensive would align itself on the railroads and erupt with its full force across the Northwestern prairies.

  General Lee was right about the Free State Republicans not expecting us to attack here. They did an admirable job of anchoring their lines along the east-west railroads in Illinois and Indiana, but they neglected to bolt the back door across this stretch of river that connects those lines from south to north. They compounded their error by failing to take any action against the deep bulge in the line that ‘Blackjack’ Logan drove through to Paris during the Partisan War. They let us hold that town and use it as a railhead to move our men in close.

  Stoneballs looked back over his shoulder. He saw the smoke from dozens of troop trains backed up from Paris to the west side of Edgar County. To speed the concentration, the rail traffic into the Wabash Front was one-way. Every train in the Mississippi Valley was unloading men and supplies in Edgar and Coles counties. By the time the Free State Republicans realized an attack was surging across the Wabash, Stoneball’s corps of five divisions would be rolling up Grant’s line in Illinois from east-to-west, Pemberton’s division would have encircled and cut off Terre Haute, and Kirby Smith’s big division would be rolling up McDowell’s line in Indiana from west-to-east. The follow-on divisions still staging in the Lower Mississippi Valley would provide enough density in the line to prevent Grant or McDowell from breaking the encirclement. Then it would be off to the races to Chicago, Indianapolis, and Fort Wayne.

  Maintaining the momentum of our attack will depend on our seizing the rail junctions held by the Rebels. The junctions at Urbana, Decatur, Springfield, and Jacksonville will open the doors to Chicago. The junction at Terre Haute opens the door to Indianapolis to the east and also provides the return loop of our supply and reinforcement route to the south. We must capture Terre Haute. I hope Pemberton’s men are up to the task of seizing it no later than tomorrow afternoon.

  Stoneballs returned his gaze to the front. Through his spyglass he saw that his mounted men had occupied the high ground on the ridgeline a quarter mile past the river and were starting to wheel to the north. They were screening the infantry climbing ashore on the bank below them. These men were forming up into regiments as they emerged from the river. The regiments were being formed up into brigades and the brigades into divisions. The mobile corps of the Confederate Army of the Northwest was taking shape before his eyes.

  This northernmost crossing was reserved for the assembly of John Logan’s division of Illinois men. Being familiar with the land behind Grant’s front, Logan’s men were assigned to lead the four following divisions of Patrick Cleburne, Ben McCulloch, Earl Van Dorn, and William Hardee in the envelopment of Grant’s army all the way west to the Illinois River. To get in Grant’s rear they would have to re-cross the Wabash further north between Williamsport and Lafayette and break the Toledo, Wabash, and Great Western railroad.

  As commander of the mobile enveloping force, Jackson intended to ride at the head of an independent reconnaissance battalion of three hundred Illinois cavalrymen handpicked by John Logan. Stoneballs would drive this vanguard to the Illinois River to complete the envelopment as quickly as possible. General Lee wouldn’t approve of him riding that far forward, but what Lee didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

  For a moment Stoneballs became apprehensive. He and Lee and planned this operation to include Jeb Stuarts’ Cavalry. Lee had told him at the last moment that Stuart’s command had been allocated to another operation and would not be available. Stoneballs suspected that “other operation” would be a renewal of the assault on Philadelphia.

  Was it wise for us to have divided our forces into two major offensives? Shouldn’t we have concentrated all their best men for this one decisive blow in the West? Stoneballs recovered his confidence. Logan’s men are Illinoisans. They know the country better than Stuart’s men. They will get me to the Illinois River.

  Stoneballs heard again the low booming sound coming in on the wind from the northwest. The sound had been intermittent due to the shifting winds. It was General Lee’s bombardment of Grant’s line from the south. Stoneballs didn’t expect it to do much damage against Grant’s expertly entren
ched lines, but it was surely commanding the Rebels attention and perhaps causing them to waste ammunition on return fire.

  That will keep the Rebels focused on their front while I roll them up from the rear. Then it’s on to Chicago. A good day, this is. A very good day indeed!

  14

  Springfield, Illinois, October 3, 1861

  Colonel of Volunteers John Barrie grabbed a rifle from one of his men standing guard at the station and fired it in the air.

  “Halt!” he shouted to the crowd of panicked townspeople crowding the station platform. “Clear this station! Now!”

  The sound of guns rumbled in from the north, marking the progress of the Confederate Union’s advance into his army’s rear. Springfield’s panicked civilians heard it too. The chaos that had wrecked much of the city during last summer’s Partisan War was fresh on their minds. They didn’t want to be caught in the city if it changed hands again.

  Barrie wasn’t as worried as they were because he didn’t think the madness of partisan fighting would return. This time around the men fighting on both sides were organized as uniformed armies. Bandits would no longer be able to commit their depredations by masquerading as partisans. Any who tried would be shot on sight by both armies. Barrie had also taken the precaution of ordering his men to destroy the stocks of liquor in the taverns and hotels. That would stop a lot of trouble before it started.

  However, if the Confederates did capture the town there would be scores to settle. Over half of Springfield’s citizens had voted for the Douglas / Davis Democratic ticket in 1860 and were therefore loyal to the Confederate Union. Most had followed the retreating Confederates out of town in July and taken refuge in Vandalia, Alton, or other towns to the south. They regarded the insurgent Free State Republicans as traitors to be held responsible for the atrocities of the Partisan War that had killed their friends and relatives and driven them from their homes, many of which had been burned and looted during the partisan anarchy.

  Of course the Republicans had suffered just as much from these depredations by bandits who had no attachment to either side, but the returning Confederates weren’t likely to be in a mood to judge the situation fairly. “The Partisan War started when you rebelled against the duly elected national government!” they would say. “You’re responsible for the death and destruction, now you’re going to pay for it!”

  So Barrie didn’t blame the Free Staters who preferred to leave town rather than stay and risk retribution. They were crowded around the station hoping to board any west-bound train that would take them across the Illinois River, thereby escaping the Confederate envelopment. The difficulty was that all the trains in Central Illinois had been commandeered by General Grant. They were to be used only to move his soldiers to the points of the Confederate breakthrough.

  “Attention!” Barrie shouted when the crowd calmed. “The railroads are reserved exclusively for the army. No civilians will be boarded. You will be safest going to your homes and staying there until the fighting finishes. If the Confederates do take this town they will escort you in safety under flag of truce to our lines nearer Chicago.”

  Barrie had no idea whether the Confederates would care about escorting anybody to the Rebel lines if they took the town, but it was better to say what was needed to keep the people calm and safe. He watched the crowd disperse. From their looks of resignation he guessed that they were heeding his advice to return to their homes and wait out the fighting.

  “We want to help defend the town,” said one of a group of middle-aged men. “We’ve got our own weapons, but want to wear the Free State uniform. Do you have any you can spare?”

  Barrie shook his head. “Untrained men are liabilities in combat. You’re welcome to volunteer after the battle is over when we can train you properly and assign you to a regiment. But for now it’s best for you to defend your property and your families by staying in your own homes.”

  These prideful and stubborn old men nodded and begin making their way to their homes. I’ve just solved one more problem before it got started. No matter how desperate the situation might become, I will not have undisciplined civilians roaming the streets taking potshots at anybody they think looks suspicious.

  Barrie was shaken from his thoughts by the booming of cannons from the south. The Confederates were making it plain that they would surge forward from their main line if Barrie’s men were buffaloed by the rearward attack into pulling out of their lines in a panicky retreat. Barrie knew enough military tactics to understand that the Confederates wanted to get them out of their trenches and force them to fight as a fleeing mob on open ground.

  Barrie had been to the front twice already today to stop panic before it got started. He had walked among the men, talking and joking with them. He had seen the men gain confidence to stay calm behind their parapets while intermittent shellfire burst around them and bullets whizzed overhead. Barrie congratulated himself on the effect his leadership had made in raising his men’s morale.

  Two months ago I was just a make-believe “sergeant” in Elmer Ellsworth’s private militia company. Now our “baggy-legged peacocks” have been forged into real soldiers. I’ve been promoted to colonel of a division of twelve thousand men, and I am not yet twenty-four. If this war continues another year, and if I fight well, I will be promoted to command of a corps or even an entire army. For now I must learn by following explicit orders from Grant. But I must also develop military instincts to think for myself. I will be expected to lead!

  He went back inside the station to wait for Grant, whom he had been notified would be arriving within the hour. Richard Yates, Governor of Free State Illinois, and his secretary were also sitting forlornly in the stationmaster’s office. They, too, were waiting for instructions from Grant advising them as to whether the town would be defended or evacuated. The governor’s secretary lugged a huge suitcase filled with the papers recording the Free State Government’s recent business. Springfield’s mayor sat on the bench next to them, looking at his watch nervously.

  Grant and his escort staff arrived a half-hour later on a locomotive pulling a single car. Grant shook hands with everyone but wasted no more time on formalities. “The enemy has crossed the Wabash and is advancing across our rear with cavalry detachments,” he said tersely. “They are not yet behind us in force, but they will be soon if we don’t stop them.”

  “We heard firing behind us about an hour ago,” said Barrie.

  “That was the Confederate’s lead reconnaissance battalion. They ran into the cavalry patrol I posted to guard the bridge over the Sangamon. I don’t have enough cavalrymen to keep them off the railroad, so I’ll need some of your men to go up there and reinforce them.”

  Grant spread out a railroad map of Indiana and Illinois on the station master’s desk.

  “The enemy’s main force crossed the Wabash here, near Clinton, Indiana. They’ve circled around to the south behind Terre Haute with part of their forces. The Terre Haute garrison is cut off and out of the fight. The Confederates have driven past Terre Haute and are threatening Indianapolis. The rest of them have moved north up the east bank of the Wabash. They have re-crossed the river near Williamsport and cut in behind Danville. John Pope pulled his division out of the line without orders and went charging into the Confederates head-on.”

  Grant bit down on his teeth and puffed his cheeks in disgust. “Pope’s men were caught out of their entrenchments by three or four Confederate divisions. I got word that Pope surrendered a couple hours ago. Any of my other commanders who act without orders from now will be court martialed. We must fight this army as a unit guided by my orders alone. Is that clear?”

  Barrie was shocked by Pope’s rapid transformation from a pompous but popular general to a Confederate prisoner.

  This military business becomes ever more complicated. I am told that I must learn to take the initiative in leading my men in battle, but look what happened to Pope! He took the initiative in sortieing to attack the enemy and hi
s division was captured. He will be court martialed if the Confederates ever give him back to us in a prisoner exchange. But if he had defeated the Confederates he would be our hero. Officers who follow their superiors’ orders are not blamed if they are defeated. But woe to those who are defeated while exercising their own initiative! For now I must follow Grant’s orders to the letter. As I gain experience I will learn how to improvise success on my own initiative.

  Grant pointed again to the map. “The easternmost section of our new line will be anchored around Urbana, starting at the rail junction south of town. I’m running a refused line --- that’s a line bent around so that it can’t be outflanked by the enemy’s advance --- northeast along the Illinois Central. If that line holds, the enemy’s vanguard moving across our rear will be cut off and destroyed.”

  Grant looked at Barrie. “To extend the new line northward I’m pulling Prentiss’ men out of the line to your right and Curtis’ men to your left. I’ve ordered Colonel Smith to cover Prentiss’ withdrawal by extending his line to meet your right. I’m ordering you to extend your line to the left to cover the gap left by Curtis’ removal. How many men do you have present for duty?”

  “Ten thousand eight hundred are reporting present and fit for duty.”

  Grant nodded. “Good. That’s a full-strength division we have to work with.”

  Grant performed some mental calculations. “I want you to leave four regiments in line. Order them to put some fire on the Confederates to let them know they’ll have a fight on their hands if they try to break into Springfield from the South. But don’t let them waste their ammunition firing promiscuously. Order each man to fire off no more than one cartridge by hour and only then if they can see a clear target in the enemy’s line.

  “I want you to pull the other men out of the line. Do it discreetly so the Confederate won’t think you’re evacuating the position.

 

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