Buell's Troops Crossing The Big Barren.

Robert Gray

Sergeant Major
Joined
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THE PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR IN TEN VOLUMES
Frances T. Miller - Editor in Chief - The Review of Reviews Co.
1911

The_Photographic_History_of_The_Civil_War_Volume_01_Page_220a.jpg


BUELL'S TROOPS CROSSING THE BIG BARREN

When the Confederate General Braxton Bragg made his masterly march into Kentucky and succeded in getting in the rear of General Buell in Middle Tennessee in September, there followed a series of movements that demanded the utmost exertions of the engineers to keep the Federal Army in touch with its base and at the same time to oppose a front to General Bragg. In the first Confederate retreat through Kentucky almost all of the causeways had been destroyed, and when Buell arrived at Bowling Green, which is north of Nashville and on the bank of Big Barren River, that stream was found to be almost flooding its banks. Here the nineteenth Regiment Michigan Engineers rebuilt the bridge almost at the place where General Mitchell had crossed early in the year. The middle part of the bridge was composed of fourteen pontoons.
 
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BUELL'S TROOPS CROSSING THE BIG BARREN

When the Confederate General Braxton Bragg made his masterly march into Kentucky and succeded in getting in the rear of General Buell in Middle Tennessee in September, there followed a series of movements that demanded the utmost exertions of the engineers to keep the Federal Army in touch with its base and at the same time to oppose a front to General Bragg. In the first Confederate retreat through Kentucky almost all of the causeways had been destroyed, and when Buell arrived at Bowling Green, which is north of Nashville and on the bank of Big Barren River, that stream was found to be almost flooding its banks. Here the nineteenth Regiment Michigan Engineers rebuilt the bridge almost at the place where General Mitchell had crossed early in the year. The middle part of the bridge was composed of fourteen pontoons.

THE PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR IN TEN VOLUMES
Frances T. Miller - Editor in Chief - The Review of Reviews Co.
1911

View attachment 126065
Robert Gray, please help me here. I'm trying to find any info on the 19th Engineers from Michigan. I am familiar with many, clearly not all, Federal Engineer organizations but cannot find anything about the 19th. Did they go by another name such as Howland's Independent Co.?
 
The text in Miller's Photographic History has many errors. I copied the caption accompanying the image without checking for accuracy. I am beginning to think that companies from the 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics were responsible for building this bridge. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
 
The text in Miller's Photographic History has many errors. I copied the caption accompanying the image without checking for accuracy. I am beginning to think that companies from the 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics were responsible for building this bridge. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Robert Gray, Thank you for the response. I was not trying to call you out or something, so I hope I did not offend. I've been in contact with a few people who know far more than me about the MI Engineers and they agree with your assessment that it is likely an error in the original text as well. The 1st was in the vanguard of the troops going to Bowling Green so that does seem consistent. BTW thanks for posting an excellent picture though. Regards.
 
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