My favorite Shelby Foote passage is at page 719 of volume 2 of his history of the Civil War. It concerns the afternoon of September 19, 1863, on the battlefield of Chickamauga. Foote writes of General Rosecrans, the commander of the Union Army of the Cumberland interrogating a Confederate captain captured in a skirmish that day from the Texas Brigade of Hood's Division, Longstreet's Corps. The appearance of Longstreet's Corps augured ill for the Federals.
After some preliminary niceties, Rosecrans began asking about Confederate dispositions.
"General, it has cost me a great deal of trouble to find your lines," said the captain. "If you take the same amount of trouble you will find ours."
Rosecrans kept on asking questions. The captain admitted he belonged to the Confederate Army of Tennessee, but could not remember his corps or division. Rosecrans finally ran out of patience.
"Captain," Rosecrans said, "you don't seem to know much, for a man whose appearance seems to indicate so much intelligence."
"Well, General," said the captain, "if you are not satisfied with my information, I will volunteer some. We are going to whip you most tremendously in this fight."
And the next day, they did.
John Horn
Author, The Destruction of the Weldon Railroad (1991), revised and republished as The Battles for the Weldon Railroad (2015)
_____, The Petersburg Campaign (1993)
Co-editor, Civil War Talks (2012)
Author, The Petersburg Regiment (2019)
After some preliminary niceties, Rosecrans began asking about Confederate dispositions.
"General, it has cost me a great deal of trouble to find your lines," said the captain. "If you take the same amount of trouble you will find ours."
Rosecrans kept on asking questions. The captain admitted he belonged to the Confederate Army of Tennessee, but could not remember his corps or division. Rosecrans finally ran out of patience.
"Captain," Rosecrans said, "you don't seem to know much, for a man whose appearance seems to indicate so much intelligence."
"Well, General," said the captain, "if you are not satisfied with my information, I will volunteer some. We are going to whip you most tremendously in this fight."
And the next day, they did.
John Horn
Author, The Destruction of the Weldon Railroad (1991), revised and republished as The Battles for the Weldon Railroad (2015)
_____, The Petersburg Campaign (1993)
Co-editor, Civil War Talks (2012)
Author, The Petersburg Regiment (2019)
Well they certainly whipped Rosecrans; the Army of the Cumberland not so much.
ReplyDeleteHave you read Dave Powell's trilogy on Chickamauga?
ReplyDeleteCompany G ("The Preacher's Company") of the 39th Illinois ("Yates Phalanx") was partially recruited from Tinley Park, where my wife and I have our office. What regiment was recruited from where you live now?
ReplyDelete