- Joined
- May 18, 2005
- Location
- Spring Hill, Tennessee
Apparently, Donelson's Brigade was the only true Tennessee brigade for any Confederate army.
Although General W. W. Loring (Division Commander at Cheat Mountain, Virginia) may have originally organized this brigade with the 8th Tennessee, 16th Tennessee, 1st Georgia, 14th Georgia and Greenbrier Virginia Cavalry, this organization apparently only lasted about ten days. The Georgia regiments and the Virginia Cavalry were encamped at Huntersville, Virginia with the Tennessee regiments for less than two weeks, and when the brigade left Valley Mountain for Cheat Mountain on the morning of September 10, 1861, only the 8th and 16th regiments went on the campaign.
Other than this potential stretch of ten or so days (possibly) brigaded with two Georgia infantry regiments, the remainder of the time served by the 8th and 16th Tennessee regiments was only with Tennessee regiments. This included a Tennessee (Carnes') artillery battery that was added to the brigade by the end of June, 1862.
Their first brigade assignment was one that would last - for both of these regiments - for the entirety of the war. Other regiments that served in their brigade included the 15th Tennessee, 28th Tennessee, 38th Tennessee, 51st Tennessee, 52nd Tennessee, 84th Tennessee, Murray's 22nd Tennessee Infantry battalion. The 15th Tennessee was the only regiment that would transfer out of the brigade in December, 1862. The 51st and 52nd Tennessee regiments were consolidated and originally called the 51st Consolidated, but it was later deemed an illegal consolidation. They then simply retained the field consolidation, but they went by the name 51st & 52nd Tennessee Infantry regiment. The 84th Tennessee consolidated with the 28th Tennessee in March, 1863 and the designation 84th was completely dropped. The unit was referred to as the 28th Tennessee till war's end. The 22nd battalion was consolidated with the 38th Tennessee, and although it was not meant to be permanent - it became so. Later, they were brigaded with the 1st/27th Tennessee, 4th Confederate/6th/9th/50th Tennessee.
The brigade received a battery of artillery permanently attached to the brigade from mid 1862 until after the battle of Chickamauga. Captain W. W. Carnes' Tennessee battery of four 12 pound napoleons was a very effective and deadly battery of Tennesseans. His guns were briefly captured by Federal forces at Chickamauga. Following that battle, artillery was reorganized into battalions and no longer individually attached to brigades.
The interesting thing regarding this brigade is that it was commanded by all Tennesseans (or adopted Tennesseans) for the entirety of the war. The commanders included Brigadier General Daniel S. Donelson - its first commander who was also a West Point graduate.
Donelson was generally considered a patriotic man, but some of the men felt he lacked "military tact and generalship." Donelson's brigade proved its worth in the extremely rugged mountains of Virginia from Huntersville, to Cheat Mountain, to Lewisburg, Sewell Mountain to Dublin Depot. The brigade was specifically ordered by General R. E. Lee to follow him to South Carolina when he took over command of the defenses south of Charleston.
The brigade participated in coastal duties primarily building and reinforcing forts, conducting patrols and picket duty opposite Beaufort and Parris Island. The brigade lived well while stationed there and the boys got fat on oysters and fish. Clothing supplies that had run short handed on the Virginia campaign were replaced with nice garb from the eastern depots and morale ran high until the news that Fort Donelson had fallen. Captain Dillard of the 16th Tennessee broke the news to the general.
The Tennessee brigade - still consisting of only the 8th and Sixteenth Tennessee in the spring of 1862 - was transferred to the Army of the Mississippi in April, 1862 immediately following the Battle of Shiloh. They left Grahamsville, South Carolina on April 11, 1862 and arrived at Corinth on April 22.
Upon arriving there, they were immediately designated the First brigade of Frank Cheatham's division. Three more regiments of Tennesseans were added to the brigade. The 15th, 38th and 51st Consolidated joined the 8th and 16th Tennessee regiments. This was the organization at the Battle of Perryville. There, Donelson's brigade was the first brigade to slam into the left flank of the Federal army killing Federal General James Jackson in the first five to ten minutes of the battle. The brigade had been split in the hours preceding the fight. Only the 15th, 38th and 16th regiments participating in the opening attack. The 8th and 51st regiments were in support of Carnes' battery on the extreme Federal left. The three regiments that made the initial attack attacked the right flank of Starkweather's brigade and routed the 123 Illinois of Terrill's brigade atop Open Knob. Soon, with the assistance of Maney's brigade, Parsons' eight gun battery was captured atop Open Knob. The brigade was reformed and aided in more attacks in support of Stewart's brigade until darkness, and they assisted in the capture of Harris' Federal battery near dusk. The brigade sustained 347 casualties in the fighting there - the 16th Tennessee accounted for more than 200 of the casualties.
Two and a half months later - the army had been re-designated the Army of Tennessee. The brigade lost the 15th Tennessee to outpost duty, but gained the 84th Tennessee and Murray's 22nd Battalion. These two units did not participate in the battle of Murfreesboro, but supported Carnes' battery several hundred yards behind the main line. The remaining regiments - the 8th, 16th, 38th and 51st consolidated Tennessee regiments - were responsible for the axle portion of the attack on the Federal forces on the morning of December 31, 1862. The brigade was responsible for the capture of several pieces of artillery, many prisoners and lost nearly 700 men.
In February, orders came down that promoted Donelson to departmental command. He would be leaving the brigade and assigned duty in east Tennessee. This left an opening for appointment to brigadier general and command of the brigade. Nearly everyone in the brigade thought the command would go to Colonel John H. Savage of the 16th Tennessee. This would not happen however. The next installment will cover the period of command by Brigadier General Marcus J. Wright.
Although General W. W. Loring (Division Commander at Cheat Mountain, Virginia) may have originally organized this brigade with the 8th Tennessee, 16th Tennessee, 1st Georgia, 14th Georgia and Greenbrier Virginia Cavalry, this organization apparently only lasted about ten days. The Georgia regiments and the Virginia Cavalry were encamped at Huntersville, Virginia with the Tennessee regiments for less than two weeks, and when the brigade left Valley Mountain for Cheat Mountain on the morning of September 10, 1861, only the 8th and 16th regiments went on the campaign.
Other than this potential stretch of ten or so days (possibly) brigaded with two Georgia infantry regiments, the remainder of the time served by the 8th and 16th Tennessee regiments was only with Tennessee regiments. This included a Tennessee (Carnes') artillery battery that was added to the brigade by the end of June, 1862.
Their first brigade assignment was one that would last - for both of these regiments - for the entirety of the war. Other regiments that served in their brigade included the 15th Tennessee, 28th Tennessee, 38th Tennessee, 51st Tennessee, 52nd Tennessee, 84th Tennessee, Murray's 22nd Tennessee Infantry battalion. The 15th Tennessee was the only regiment that would transfer out of the brigade in December, 1862. The 51st and 52nd Tennessee regiments were consolidated and originally called the 51st Consolidated, but it was later deemed an illegal consolidation. They then simply retained the field consolidation, but they went by the name 51st & 52nd Tennessee Infantry regiment. The 84th Tennessee consolidated with the 28th Tennessee in March, 1863 and the designation 84th was completely dropped. The unit was referred to as the 28th Tennessee till war's end. The 22nd battalion was consolidated with the 38th Tennessee, and although it was not meant to be permanent - it became so. Later, they were brigaded with the 1st/27th Tennessee, 4th Confederate/6th/9th/50th Tennessee.
The brigade received a battery of artillery permanently attached to the brigade from mid 1862 until after the battle of Chickamauga. Captain W. W. Carnes' Tennessee battery of four 12 pound napoleons was a very effective and deadly battery of Tennesseans. His guns were briefly captured by Federal forces at Chickamauga. Following that battle, artillery was reorganized into battalions and no longer individually attached to brigades.
The interesting thing regarding this brigade is that it was commanded by all Tennesseans (or adopted Tennesseans) for the entirety of the war. The commanders included Brigadier General Daniel S. Donelson - its first commander who was also a West Point graduate.
Donelson was generally considered a patriotic man, but some of the men felt he lacked "military tact and generalship." Donelson's brigade proved its worth in the extremely rugged mountains of Virginia from Huntersville, to Cheat Mountain, to Lewisburg, Sewell Mountain to Dublin Depot. The brigade was specifically ordered by General R. E. Lee to follow him to South Carolina when he took over command of the defenses south of Charleston.
The brigade participated in coastal duties primarily building and reinforcing forts, conducting patrols and picket duty opposite Beaufort and Parris Island. The brigade lived well while stationed there and the boys got fat on oysters and fish. Clothing supplies that had run short handed on the Virginia campaign were replaced with nice garb from the eastern depots and morale ran high until the news that Fort Donelson had fallen. Captain Dillard of the 16th Tennessee broke the news to the general.
I well remember his appearance when in South Carolina I broke to him the news of the fall of Fort Donelson. I had just got a paper from Charleston as he was riding by our camp, and read him the dispatch while he leaned forward on his horse gazing at me as a man hearing a death-knell. Easing himself back in his seat, with his eyes fixed without object through the long moss drapery of the woods, he said in his subdued tones, “Well, well, well! that is the saddest piece of news that ever fell upon my ears during life.” He then rode toward his quarters through the dark forest of live-oaks. His parental heart was touched. His home is doomed; his dear wife and defenseless daughters at the mercy of the enemy; his fine estate sacked; and Tennessee subjected to all the ravages of war. He saw all this at a glance, and it weighed down his soul. I was sorry I read him the news.[1]
[1] (Dillard, Military Annals of Tennessee, p. 342)
[1] (Dillard, Military Annals of Tennessee, p. 342)
The Tennessee brigade - still consisting of only the 8th and Sixteenth Tennessee in the spring of 1862 - was transferred to the Army of the Mississippi in April, 1862 immediately following the Battle of Shiloh. They left Grahamsville, South Carolina on April 11, 1862 and arrived at Corinth on April 22.
Upon arriving there, they were immediately designated the First brigade of Frank Cheatham's division. Three more regiments of Tennesseans were added to the brigade. The 15th, 38th and 51st Consolidated joined the 8th and 16th Tennessee regiments. This was the organization at the Battle of Perryville. There, Donelson's brigade was the first brigade to slam into the left flank of the Federal army killing Federal General James Jackson in the first five to ten minutes of the battle. The brigade had been split in the hours preceding the fight. Only the 15th, 38th and 16th regiments participating in the opening attack. The 8th and 51st regiments were in support of Carnes' battery on the extreme Federal left. The three regiments that made the initial attack attacked the right flank of Starkweather's brigade and routed the 123 Illinois of Terrill's brigade atop Open Knob. Soon, with the assistance of Maney's brigade, Parsons' eight gun battery was captured atop Open Knob. The brigade was reformed and aided in more attacks in support of Stewart's brigade until darkness, and they assisted in the capture of Harris' Federal battery near dusk. The brigade sustained 347 casualties in the fighting there - the 16th Tennessee accounted for more than 200 of the casualties.
Two and a half months later - the army had been re-designated the Army of Tennessee. The brigade lost the 15th Tennessee to outpost duty, but gained the 84th Tennessee and Murray's 22nd Battalion. These two units did not participate in the battle of Murfreesboro, but supported Carnes' battery several hundred yards behind the main line. The remaining regiments - the 8th, 16th, 38th and 51st consolidated Tennessee regiments - were responsible for the axle portion of the attack on the Federal forces on the morning of December 31, 1862. The brigade was responsible for the capture of several pieces of artillery, many prisoners and lost nearly 700 men.
In February, orders came down that promoted Donelson to departmental command. He would be leaving the brigade and assigned duty in east Tennessee. This left an opening for appointment to brigadier general and command of the brigade. Nearly everyone in the brigade thought the command would go to Colonel John H. Savage of the 16th Tennessee. This would not happen however. The next installment will cover the period of command by Brigadier General Marcus J. Wright.