Days of Glory: The Army of the Cumberland, 1861-1865

509 Pages·2004·27.9 MB·English

by  Larry J. Daniel

DAYS OF GLORY
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DATS OF GLORY
THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND
1861-1865
Larry J. Daniel
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS
BATON ROUGE
PUBLISHED BY LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Copyright © 2004 by Louisiana State University Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Louisiana Paperback Edition, 2006
SECOND PRINTING, 2007
DESIGNER: Amanda McDonald Scallan
TYPEFACE: Minion
TYPESETTER: Coghill Composition Co., Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Daniel, Larry J., 1947-
Days of glory : the Army of the Cumberland, 1861-1865 /
Larry J. Daniel.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8071-2931-9 (cloth: alk. paper)
1. United States. Army of the Cumberland. 2. United
States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865—Regimental
histories. 3. United States—History—Civil War,
1861-1865—Campaigns. I. Title.
E470.5.0355 2004
973.7' 41—dc22
200400584
ISBN-13: 978-0-8071-3191-6 (pbk.)
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and
durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book
Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. @
for Marilyn, Lauren, and Mark
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CONTENTS
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
Abbreviations xvii
PART 1: THE ANDERSON-SHERMAN LEGACY
1. Birth of an Army: The Anderson Legacy 3
2. Sherman Takes Command: A Baleful Sway 16
PART 2: THE BUELL INFLUENCE
3. Organization and Strategy: The Arrival of Buell 33
4. The Drive South: The Buell-Halleck Feud 57
5. The Mettle Tested: The Battle of Shiloh 74
PART 3: DECLINE OF THE BUELL INFLUENCE
6. The Chattanooga Campaign: Conservative War Aims 91
7. Retreat to Kentucky: A Season of Blunders 107
8. The Collapse of Command: The Anti-Buell Faction 126
9. Faltering Communications: The Battle of Perryville 141
10. A Failure to Perform: The Removal of Buell 167
PART 4: THE ROSECRANS ERA
11. Army of the Cumberland: The Rosecrans Influence 181
12. The Weight of Command: Clash at Stones River 201
13. Interlude: The Business of War 225
14. The Politics of War: Rise of the Anti-Rosecrans Faction 246
15. Tullahoma: Military Gain, Political Vexation 265
VIII CONTENTS
PART 5: THE DECLINE OF ROSECRANS
16. An Aura of Vanity: The Road to Chattanooga 285
17. Fatal Decision: The Battle of Chickamauga 314
18. The Removal: Purge and Reorganization 338
PART 6: THE EMERGENCE OF THOMAS
19. Chattanooga: Thomas Takes Command 361
20. The Army Remodeled: Winter at Chattanooga 379
21. The Atlanta Campaign: "A Spirit of Jealousy" 394
22. Command Fracture: The Grand Old Army Divides 416
Epilogue 432
ORDERS OF BATTLE 435
Bibliography 449
Index 477
ILLUSTRATIONS
PHOTOGRAPHS
following page 158
Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell
Brig. Gen. William B. Hazen
Maj. Gen. George "Old Pap" Thomas
Col. Robert H. G. Minty
Maj. Gen. Thomas L. Crittenden
Brig. Gen. Alexander McCook
Crossing the Big Barren River
Brig. Gen. James Negley and staff
Finishing the Elk River railroad trestle
Maj. Gen. William S. Rosencrans and staff
Generals Davis, Brannan, Johnson, King, and staff
"Thomastown," headquarters of General Thomas
Colonels and generals of the Army of the Cumberland
MAPS
Chattanooga and Vicinity 109
Buell and Bragg, Early September 1862 120
Eastern Kentucky 170
The Approaches to Murfreesboro 203
The Tullahoma Campaign 268
The 1863 Advance into Northwest Georgia 295