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What was life like for pro-Confederate Southern civilians behind Union lines? This is an area of Civil War history not extensively explored. Life behind Union lines was chaotic with much of the South infested with Confederate guerrillas and occupied by the troops of the United States Provost Marshal. These Provost Marshal troops attempted to counter guerrilla activity and to protect Union supply lines as well as attempting to regulate the behavior of the civilian population. In the absence of civil authority the Provost was the only law-enforcement agency operating in much of the South.
A tremendous amount of destruction of civilian property was carried out by the Provost troops and thousands of Southern civilians were executed without proof of wrong-doing and without trials. While those with only a general knowledge of the war focus on the destruction of property by Sherman, Sheridan, and Hunter there is little awareness that the real destruction of the Southern infrastructure was carried out by the Provost. When the term "massacre" is mentioned the words "Fort Pillow" spring readily to the lips of many students. In reality, the Provost troops of the United States were responsible for more wrongful deaths than any other body of troops on either side.
The purpose of this thread is to discuss life in the South behind Union lines under the control of the Provost Marshal.
The original sources for the Provost Marshal are found in the National Archives and are cataloged Record Group 416, Union Provost Marshal Files Relating to Two or More Citizens, and Record Group 345 Union Provost Marshal Files Relating to Individual Citizens.
One example of the actions of the Union Provost Marshal is the following quote from the original sources:
"Mrs Cynthia McCullum--kill this woman but make it look like an accident." UPM records, R.G. 345 Roll 130
"General E.A. Paine has had about two hundred men shot since he has been stationed here. it is not often that his men bring in any they capture, and when they do, Paine ordeers them quietly walked outside the pickets and shot and no report is made of the matter and nothing is said of it. Two of them have been shot that way since I come here. I would not have known anything of it had I not happened on their dead bodies in riding out."
Robert Milroy to Mary Milroy, June 19, 1864
Original letter deposited in the Jasper County Indiana Public Library
This is more people than were killed at Fort Pillow and is clearly a "massacre,"
Testimony of James M. Chadd, Second Kentucky Artillery, U.S.A.
"On or about the 6th day of Feby 1865 there were two men shot at Tullahoma, and on the 20th Jany three men. Two of the men shot were named Sanders and the other a gray headed man whose name I have forgotten. The men who were shot were citizens and nome of them were armed."
These three men were James Sanders, aged 58; Sampson Moore, aged 78; and William Sanders, aged 14.
Chadd continues, "On or about 23d Feby I saw ten men shot. They had been confined in the stockade and were taken out and shot. On the 2d or 3d of March I came up to a party of soldiers about 15 minutes after they had shot a man. They told me they had him chopping wood and the general had ordered him shot. He was John Morton, a Rebel Soldier."
There is no record of any charges placed against these men and there is no record of a trial.
Samuel Nance and John Regan were to be hanged. The scaffold had been erected, the nooses tied, and a thousand soldiers marched out to the place of execution. The condemned men were being allowed to say some last words when a courier arrived from General Lovell Rousseau ordering that the men had to be given a trial before they could be killed.
The Union Provost Marshal officer in charge commented "such men often get witnesses who prove they are innocent and escape hanging."
Robert Milroy to Nancy Milroy, Feb. 12, 1865
Original letter on deposit in Jasper County Indiana Publis Library
Execution without even a drum-head trial sounds like war crimes to me.
Thanks for opening this thread, RebProf, there is much to discover about this much ignored point. I would ask however, that some reference be made to the fate of Unionists behind Confederate lines. I suspect that they are similar.
Ola
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
This is an interesting thread. I'm sure of course, the usual contingent will be around shortly to brand it Myth, Lost Cause, justified because of slavery, or to attack the Professor's sources as not academic or widely espoused enough.
Nice to see a new topic, though.
Regards,
John W.
__________________ Ancestors in CSA Army: 51st VA, 54th VA, 45th VA, 50th VA, 24th VA
Ancestors in CSA Cav: 21st VA, 25th VA
Last edited by JohnW in E.TN; 12-30-2005 at 04:34 PM.
Actually I'm having a difficult time accessing the records, through email & a phone call I've tried to gain access to them and have had no luck. I'm assuming the blame is the holiday season and perhaps a shortage of staff? In short I wait confirmation.
__________________ Few take the trouble to understand or to view the American scene with perspective. And we Americans love to find ourselves guilty of something. However, it is never I who am guilty, but those other Americans, the past or present government or the other political party. Americans almost never find other countries guilty. It is always ourselves or our fancied influence in other countries. Louis L'amour
I would ask however, that some reference be made to the fate of Unionists behind Confederate lines.
Like Alabama Unionists being attacked by dogs and confederate guerrillas firing into a crowd of mostly Unionst women and children at the New Orleans levee after Farragut's fleet anchored in the river.
The actions of Confederates vs. Unionist sympathizers shouldn't excuse actions of Union authorities vs. Confederates sympathizers, although it might explain it, if you can establish a relationship between the two actions.
If the men RebProf have posted here were actually fighting against Union troops(partisans or guerillas) and killed, its the fortune of war. If he is suggesting that they were not fighting, but shot after being captured, or were not resisting Union troops and shot at random, its something different.
If we are just going to list duelling atrocities, I don't think we're going to learn much.
Instead, RebProf has made a statement of thousands civililans being killed, I presume not in combat, and begun to list supporting evidence. Let's check the sources and discuss.
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