Rhea Cole
Major
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2019
- Location
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Dispute away all you like, the historical record is unambiguous on this point. Here on my desk is Tullahoma: The Forgotten Camaign pages 25-35, a newly published account of the creation of the Lightening Brigade for you to dispute. One of the authors, Eric Wittenberg, is a regular contributor to this forum, no doubt he would appreciate hearing about your doubts concerning the validity of his scholarship, as well.I think the problem here in the interpretation of the history is that there are elements of this at least (like the Union government being unwilling to issue Spencers or to make large purchases of them) which do not concord with the actual figures for purchases and issuances of the Spencer rifles. In particular, in March it was literally impossible for the Union government to issue Spencers because they had all already been issued - they had none and Spencer's factory had not made further deliveries.
This element of the story is one which has been included because it "makes a good story" for the government to be conservative and hidebound.
That Wilder made the contract I do not dispute; that he discussed it with his soldiers and they were willing to agree to reimburse Wilder for the weapons I also do not dispute. What I do however dispute are these points:
- that the Union government had Spencers but was unwilling to issue them, rather than being unable because they did not have any Spencers.
- that the contract was actually put into force (i.e. that Wilder was the one who paid for the Spencers) instead of the weapons being issued by the government and the contract being effectively put into abeyance.
Last edited: