Morale In The Army Of The Cumberland During The Tullahoma And Chickamauga Campaigns

By Major Robert J. Dalessandro

This study examines insights into the state of morale of the Army of the Cumberland during the period of the Tullahoma and Chickamauga campaigns. The thesis covers the period from June through September 1863.

The thesis focused on the organization and leadership of the Army of the Cumberland. It then examined morale as the whole of diverse factors, including national and individual factors. National factors were generally out of control of the army leadership. They included a soldiers’ motivation for joining the army, his views toward southern sympathizers at home, the impact of John Morgan’s Ohio Raid, soldier views on conscription, and effects of the progress of the war on morale. Individual factors comprised concerns for home, family, business, and religion. These areas were also largely beyond the influence of the army leadership.

The study then examined morale factors the army could control. It explored army life, attitudes toward leadership, level of discipline, how the army leadership cared for solders, and the impact of mail on soldier morale. The thesis concludes that the Army of the Cumberland was a well lead organization. Consequently, the state of morale of the army was high throughout the Tullahoma campaign and was not significantly diminished as a result of the defeat at Chickamauga.

The thesis further concluded that soldier confidence in Major General William S. Rosecrans remained high throughout the period of the study. Confidence in many corps and some division level commanders did, however, suffer as a result of the Chickamauga defeat.

Additionally, the thesis concluded that Major General Rosecrans had been undermined from within his own headquarters—ultimately leading to his relief.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Golden Springs Publishing
• Release date: Nov 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781786253750

Major Robert J. Dalessandro

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Text originally published in 1963 under the same title.

© Pickle Partners Publishing 2015, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

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Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

MORALE IN THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND DURING THE TULLAHOMA AND CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGNS

by

Major Robert J. Dalessandro, USA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

ABSTRACT 5

LIST OF TABLES 6

LIST OF FIGURES 7

CHAPTER 1—INTRODUCTION 8

The Definition of Morale 10

CHAPTER 2—THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND ITS ORGANIZATION AND LEADERS 13

Leaders 15

The Department Headquarters 15

Fourteenth Army Corps 16

Twentieth Army Corps 18

Twenty-First Army Corps 20

Reserve Corps 21

Cavalry Corps 22

CHAPTER 3—NATIONAL MORALE FACTORS 24

Saving the Union 24

The Copperhead Problem 25

John Morgan’s Raid 28

Conscription 31

War Progress 32

CHAPTER 4—INDIVIDUAL MORALE FACTORS 34

Management of Farm or Business 34

Family Concerns 35

Infant Mortality 36

Medicine 36

Homesickness 37

The Girl I Left Behind Me 38

Religion 38

CHAPTER 5—MORALE FACTORS WITHIN THE CONTROL OF THE ARMY 41

Soldiers Attitudes Toward Army Life 41

Attitudes Toward Leadership 43

Discipline 49

Care and Health of Soldiers 51

Moral Environment 52

Mail 52

CHAPTER 6—CONCLUSIONS 54

Officer and Soldier Confidence in Major General Rosecrans 54

Was Rosecrans Undermined from Within His Headquarters 55

Officer Confidence 57

State of Discipline in the Army 57

Conclusions 58

APPENDIX—ORGANIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND 61

GENERAL HEADQUARTERS 61

FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS 61

FIRST DIVISION, FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS 61

SECOND DIVISION, FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS 62

THIRD DIVISION, FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS 63

FOURTH DIVISION, FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS 64

TWENTIETH ARMY CORPS 66

FIRST DIVISION, TWENTIETH ARMY CORPS 66

SECOND DIVISION, TWENTIETH ARMY CORPS 67

THIRD DIVISION, TWENTIETH ARMY CORPS 68

TWENTY-FIRST ARMY CORPS 69

FIRST DIVISION, TWENTY-FIRST ARMY CORPS 69

SECOND DIVISION, TWENTY-FIRST CORPS 70

THIRD DIVISION, TWENTY-FIRST ARMY CORPS 72

RESERVE CORPS 73

FIRST DIVISION, RESERVE CORPS 73

SECOND DIVISION, RESERVE CORPS 74

CAVALRY CORPS 75

FIRST DIVISION 75

SECOND DIVISION 76

UNASSIGNED TROOPS 77

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 77

BIBLIOGRAPHY 79

Manuscripts 79

Newspapers and Magazines 81

Books 81

Primary 81

Secondary 83

Dissertations, Thesis, and Monographs 84

ABSTRACT

This study examines insights into the state of morale of the Army of the Cumberland during the period of the Tullahoma and Chickamauga campaigns. The thesis covers the period from June through September 1863.

The thesis focused on the organization and leadership of the Army of the Cumberland. It then examined morale as the whole of diverse factors, including national and individual factors. National factors were generally out of control of the army leadership. They included a soldiers’ motivation for joining the army, his views toward southern sympathizers at home, the impact of John Morgan’s Ohio Raid, soldier views on conscription, and effects of the progress of the war on morale. Individual factors comprised concerns for home, family, business, and religion. These areas were also largely beyond the influence of the army leadership.

The study then examined morale factors the army could control. It explored army life, attitudes toward leadership, level of discipline, how the army leadership cared for solders, and the impact of mail on soldier morale. The thesis concludes that the Army of the Cumberland was a well lead organization. Consequently, the state of morale of the army was high throughout the Tullahoma campaign and was not significantly diminished as a result of the defeat at Chickamauga.

The thesis further concluded that soldier confidence in Major General William S. Rosecrans remained high throughout the period of the study. Confidence in many corps and some division level commanders did, however, suffer as a result of the Chickamauga defeat.

Additionally, the thesis concluded that Major General Rosecrans had been undermined from within his own headquarters—ultimately leading to his relief.

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Chronology of the Tullahoma and Chickamauga Campaigns.

LIST OF FIGURES

Fig. 1: John Morgan’s Ohio Raid.

CHAPTER 1—INTRODUCTION

In war morale is to the physical as three to one.—Napoleon Bonaparte, Warrior Words

In the early morning hours of October 20, 1863, John Sanderson penned a note in his diary. What the effect of this removal will be upon the morale of this army. I know full well. I dread the consequences.{1} The staff still lay sleeping around him as he rose from his makeshift bed. He slowly walked the short distance and tentatively awoke the general. Both he and the general had little sleep the previous evening. Major General William S. Rosecrans had held a final meeting that lasted well past midnight with his successor, Major General George Thomas. They discussed details of Rosecrans’ plan for the defense of Chattanooga. At 0500 on October 20, 1863, Rosecrans left his headquarters at the Army of the Cumberland for the last time. There was no fanfare. A handful of men saw Rosecrans off. Some wept openly—but Rosecrans kept a cheerful face, despite his sorrow.{2}

Many events had passed since his assumption of command. Just weeks before, he was hailed as the Nation’s most capable general, perhaps even a future presidential candidate. Now, he had been relieved of his command. In the words of the Assistant Secretary of War Charles Dana, the soldiers have lost their affection for Major General Rosecrans....The state of this Army is lower than at any time since Bull Run.{3} What had gone wrong? In the summer of 1863, the Army of the Cumberland was the most successful fighting force that had ever marched and fought in the Western Hemisphere. Now, it faced possible destruction at the hands of General Braxton Bragg and his Army of Tennessee.

The eight months between the victory at Stones River and the defeat at Chickamauga had been eventful. Following the defeat of the Army of Tennessee at Stones River in January 1863, Major General Rosecrans’ army went into winter camp in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In June, he resumed operations in what is called the Tullahoma Campaign. Despite unfavorable weather conditions, Rosecrans’ Army of the Cumberland made extraordinary progress toward the vital railroad center at Chattanooga. By September, his army had advanced over 125 miles and had managed to take the town of Chattanooga without firing a shot. The Army of the Cumberland seemed invincible. With the victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in July, it seemed as though the capture of Chattanooga would finally seal the fate of the Confederacy.

The fate of Chattanooga, and perhaps the Confederacy, would be decided near the Tennessee/Georgia border at a little known creek called Chickamauga. The fortunes of war and not the generals were to select the location. The final defeat of the Army of Tennessee seemed inevitable. Although outnumbered, Rosecrans’ men had fought well—it seemed that victory was in reach. At 1130 on September 20, 1863, Rosecrans and his Army fell apart. Within the hour, Rosecrans’ unbeatable juggernaut was retreating in disarray to Chattanooga. Was leader and soldier morale a factor in the disaster at Chickamauga? This thesis explores the effect of morale on the leaders and soldiers of the Army of the Cumberland prior to and following the defeat at Chickamauga.

This study will investigate the following research questions: What was the state of morale across the Army of the Cumberland preceding and subsequent to the Battle of Chickamauga? Dr. Francis Lord states that morale was directly affected by the soldiers’ confidence in their officers, especially in their regimental commanders.{4} He adds, there was a direct relationship between good discipline and high morale.{5} To this end, the work must satisfactorily answer the primary question, and resolve the following:

1. Did officers have confidence in Major General William S. Rosecrans and his staff?

2. Was confidence in Rosecrans’ abilities undermined from within his own headquarters?

3. Did the soldiers have confidence in their officers?

4. What was the state of discipline in the Army of the Cumberland?

Studies of both morale and its impact on men abound. These studies, however, seem to focus on the World War I and World War II eras. Little work has been put forward on the great armies of the American Civil War.

Major General William S. Rosecrans was a popular commander with his troops. Following the Battle of Stones River, a junior officer