DOC Gateway to the Confederacy: New Perspectives on the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns; 1862-1863 by From Jones Evan C in History

Review

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Important insights on the precursor to the fall of Atlanta.By Dr. Dave in FresnoEvery Civil War aficionado should have Gateway to the Confederacy in his or her library for one compelling reason; viz. the essay by the editor; Evan C. Jones; about the rivalry between Generals Grant and Rosecrans. Although a truncated version of this essay appears in the October 2014 issue of Civil War Times; Mr. Jones; who studied under Gary Gallagher at the Univ of Virginia; details the deterioration of what had been a pre-war friendship into what he calls a “malignant vindictiveness.” His analysis is compelling; and I could not do justice to its positive attributes in this review. The remaining nine essays are a “mixed bag.” That by Russell Bonds about Chattanooga presents a great deal that is new about the city as a transportation hub and industrial center; but would have benefited from information found in the Chattanooga Rebel; the Daily Gazette; and other original sources; rather than bringing together snippets from diverse secondary sources. Bonds does error in stating that the Augusta Powder Works at Augusta Georgia was the “Confederacy's one and only gunpowder works.” He is apparently unaware of the Sycamore Works at Ashland; Tennessee; which was dismantled and moved to Selma; Alabama; before Buell's Army of the Ohio reached Bowling Green in March of 1862. Prokopowicz's essay on Buell is insightful; and “spot on” in suggesting that Halleck and the War Department slowed Buell's advance on Chattanooga by insisting that Memphis and Charleston RR from Memphis be fully operational before moving on the city. But ultimately; Buell was "his own worst enemy" in applying what was in 1862 the Lincoln Administration's policy of treating civilians with “kid gloves.” Unfortunately; in my opinion; Buell became the scapegoat for a failed administration policy of reconciliation with Southrons that existed until 1863 when the hard hand of war became a sin qua non for victory. The essay by David Powell about Forrest at Chickamauga is a summary of his monograph Failure in the Saddle which provides more detail and a more coherent analysis. I understand Mr. Jones's desire to invite Powell to participate in this work; but Powell also authors a second essay; one that provides considerable insight on innovations by Rosecrans. As such it seems to me; that the Forrest essay should have been replaced by something about the Union Cavalry and Mounted Infantry forces in the Chickamauga campaign; or; perhaps; the Wheeler Raid that followed the Battle at Chickamauga. This is perhaps the only real deficiency in the collection. I applaud Powell's essay on innovation; but wish to add that among the ideas hatched by Rosecrans was detailing convalescents to engage in farming at the Hospitals they lived in. This became the norm for the Army after Rosecrans ordered those at Murfreesboro in the Spring of 1863 to cultivate about 100 acres of vegetables. And I must “correct” his statement that Wilder's brigade consisted of five regiments. The 17th and 72nd Indiana; and 98th and 123rd Illinois; were mounted in March of 1863 and equipped with Spencer's 7-shot repeating rifles in May of 1863;; but the 92nd Illinois was not attached until mid-July of 1863 about four weeks after the Battle at Hoover's Gap; and it never fought alongside the other four regiments. On September 4th it was detached to scout for General Thomas. Moreover; only three of its companies were equipped with repeating rifles. The reason for both of these facts seems to be that its Colonel; Smith Atkins; was an abolitionist; as were most of its members; and the other four regiments were made up of men who disparaged association with these “N” lovers. This is made clear in Clarie Swedberg's Three Years with the 92nd Illinois (1999); and in the writings of the members of the other four regiments. Robertson's “Tale of Two Orders” is well-written but appears to revisit what Glenn Tucker first brought to our attention in his classic work on Chickamauga. However; having a study of an order not issued by Polk to Hill; side by side (so to speak) with the order given to Wood by Rosecrans in a single essay gives us the opportunity to view both through the “single lens” of the challenges of leadership. Craig Symonds' essay about the visit of President Davis to General Bragg in October '63 details the difficulty Davis faced in trying to improve morale in the Army of Tennessee. Not only was Davis blinded by his friendship with Bragg to see that new leadership was needed; but also very aware that there was no one who could replace Bragg and end the bickering among the senior commanders. So Davis backed Bragg and the backstabbing continued. Three months later Bragg was replaced by Joe Johnston; but he too could not quell the "rebellion" by the senior commanders of the Army of Tennessee. None seem to have been willing to accept their lesser roles and their egos got the better of them. The essay by Sword brilliantly brings together; into a single essay; the issue of arming slaves to fight for the Confederacy. Bits and pieces of all the elements Sword addresses have been known for at least two decades; but previous works have not presented the details as Sword has done here including publication of the memorial on the subject prepared by Cleburne and endorsed by many other senior brigadiers in the Army of Tennessee. It very much compliments the Symonds essay in particular and I intend to encourage my students to read and ponder both. The penultimate essay by Cushman is a worthwhile effort to reconcile the writings of D. H. Hill; Henry Boynton; and Ambrose Bierce some thirty years after the Battle of Chickamauga with the "History of Chickamauga" penned by the son of General Archibald Gracie; Jr. One should not be surprised that each presents his own version of the truth despite evidence presented by Cushman that these writers may have corresponded with each other (and of course others) in an effort to correct any errors. Unfortunately; none of these writers kept diaries or journals written at the time that might have allowed them to verify or correct their own memories of the events; so what they believed in retrospect; may differ significantly from reality. What perplexes me; as a reviewer; is the second part of Cushman's essay. At p 271 he undertakes an explanation of what he calls "Bierce's other way to write history; his short fiction." It is plain to me that fiction is just that; it is not history; and I must admit I do not understand why Cushman would declare that Bierce's fiction is a form of history. I've never considered Uncle Tom's Cabin to be anything but a morality tale concocted by Harriett Beecher Stowe; nor have I thought any of several hundred works of fiction that take place during the Civil War era to be anything but good (or bad) literature. I certainly wouldn't take these into a college history class and present them as factual. So; again; I don't see this essay as contributing to our understanding of the Battle of Chickamauga as an historical event. That is best accomplished by comparing documents in the OR and in the writings of participants at the time of the battle and shortly there after. The final essay by Janney is very informative; and marks the first time I have seen anywhere in print (aside from NPS literature) the details of the founding of the C C National Military Park. I make only one correction. She states at p.287 that veterans of the Army of the Cumberland such as Brigadier General John T. Wilder had remained in Chattanooga for two years of occupation after the Battle of Chickamauga. The facts are these. Wilder was given leave due to poor health on Septenber 22; but “returned” to duty in December 1863 at Huntsville; Alabama; to encourage the men of the 17th to re-enlist as veterans. This they did and he and they were furloughed in Indiana from late January until late March of 1864. The other three regiments remained at Huntsville until April when they reformed as a Brigade at Columbia; Tennessee; and then rode with Kenner Garrard's Cavalry Division in Sherman's Atlanta Campaign. Wilder's health again necessitated a leave of absence and he left for Indiana on June 9th 1864 leaving the Brigade in the capable hands of Col. Abram Miller of the 72nd Indiana. Wilder slowly regained his health; but did not return to the field. Indiana's Governor Morton appointed him to the position of chief recruiting officer for the State. It was not until June of 1865 that Wilder appeared in Chattanooga; where he scouted business prospects; assisted in organizing hundreds of men to fight an enormous fire caused by the explosion of captured Confederate ordnance in the old magazine near the water front; and then in September purchased at auction the rolling mill of the USMRR which became one of several structures associated with the Roane Mountain Iron Works. He moved his family to Chattanooga; became a leader in civic affairs; and for a time served as mayor. Later in the century he was Post Master of Chattanooga and Pension Commissioner for East Tennessee. More important for the purpose here; the Chattanooga newspapers of the early 1880s onward ascribe to John Wilder; leadership in the effort to create the C C National Military Park. Janney does not mention his involvement until he spearheaded erecting the Wilder Tower in 1899 as a memorial to his Brigade. Appropriately; and in closing; Janney reminds us that the Military Park at Chickamauga was the one at which some measure of reconciliation was first achieved at the commencement of the 20th century. A notable accomplishment for an nation almost torn asunder. Gateway of the Confederacy is well-worth the price and contains some excellent scholarship.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy WALTER J KOCHER JRExcellent additional perspectives to the battles of Chickamauga ans Chatanooga.14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. An Compilation of Essays Which Should Not Be MissedBy Matthew BartlettThroughout the battles and campaigns of the Civil War which are studies; much attention is given to the battlefield of Gettysburg. A fact like this pointed out many times in the introduction of this collection of essays on Chickamauga and Chattanooga. Even before the creation of the Gettysburg National Military Park; these battlefields are more well preserved and more established than any other battlefield in the country. While not as written about as Gettysburg; this campaign has been ignored in the wake of Gettysburg and Vicksburg; Chickamauga and Chattanooga are treated with distinction in this incredible collection of essays. The two editors of the collection; Evan C. Jones and Wiley Sword; both contributed essays to the work and are no strangers of these battlefields. Evan C. Jones is a former National Park ranger who has spent a good amount of time at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park along with many other battlefields from the Civil War. Wiley Sword is an accomplished author and historian who has devoted his career to these campaigns. The other authors of this work include Russell S. Bonds; David A. Powell; Gerald J. Prokopowicz; William Glenn Robertson; Craig L. Symonds; Stephen Cushman and Caroline E. Janney. All of their contributions to this work have a short biography within the body of the book. Gateway to the Confederacy is an important work for many reasons. First and foremost; it is a great introduction to the campaigns of Chickamauga and Chattanooga in both the years of 1862 and 1863. One essay talks about the 1862 campaign of Chattanooga which most people tend to forget about. The essay goes over many of the events which happened during that campaign but more important was the attention made to the politicking going on in the army for Don Carlos Buell in those actions. The book opens with an essay about the overall terrain of Chickamauga and Chattanooga and the importance the land had to the campaigns and the people who had settled there. The essay titled; “The Funnel of the Universe” explains in detail the industry which surrounded the area of Tennessee; Georgia and Alabama and how Chattanooga was a large hub for this industry. Through these studies; one can see why Chickamauga and Chattanooga was the Gateway to the Confederacy and without it; the victories at both Gettysburg and Vicksburg would not have meant much of anything. Wiley Sword in his essay talks about the issues of arming slaves and the possibility of what could have happened if it became a reality. These essays are not only well written; they are thought provoking which exceeds expectations when it comes to the realm of Civil War academia. Gateway to the Confederacy is highly recommended for any Civil War reader. This collection of essays is one of the better collections I have come across in the recent years. The input of both Evan C. Jones and Wiley Sword are greatly appreciated both in their editing and their essays. They are correct in stating that sometimes; Civil War historians tend to gravitate towards Gettysburg and Vicksburg because of their grandiose nature; and though not written about as much as Gettysburg; all the contributors give an excellent outlook onto the campaigns rarely talked about in the annals of Civil War history.Matthew Bartlett - Author; Gettysburg Chronicle