Pickett General George Pickett

[bankerpapaw]

Why did Gen. Lee relieve Gen. Pickett of his command at Sayler's Creek?

 

[Old Bay]

I believe Pickett's command was pretty much eradicated (captured). Pickett had nothing left to command as far as I remember.

 

[rhettbutler1865]

There is no evidence I am aware of, that Pickett was relieved; the controversy over this subject seems very cloudy...Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Jamieva]

Correct. The only "evidence" was what Walter Taylor wrote after the war, but there is no copy of the actual order, if there was one, and Pickett continued on with his troops and surrendered at Appomattox. Most of the evidence points to him not being relieved. His "division" was the size of a brigade after Sayler's Creek

 

[rhettbutler1865]

Correct. The only "evidence" was what Walter Taylor wrote after the war, but there is no copy of the actual order, if there was one, and Pickett continued on with his troops and surrendered at Appomattox. Most of the evidence points to him not being relieved. His "division" was the size of a brigade after Sayler's Creek

Perhaps the "rumor" started because Pickett took a beating from Custer, 7, 700 Confederates were lost, including Lee's eldest son "Custis" being captured, and Lee was angry.

 

[Jamieva]

Except Pickett wasn't the general in charge of the confederate forces on the field

 

[cash]

https://books.google.com/books?id=s...ckett is that man still with the army&f=false

 

[rhettbutler1865]

Except Pickett wasn't the general in charge of the confederate forces on the field

I never said he was; I know he wasn't. Did you read the rest of my reply? It is just a possibility of how a rumor came about concerning Pickett...there's usually a scapegoat.

 

[Jamieva]

I never said he was; I know he wasn't. Did you read the rest of my reply? It is just a possibility of how a rumor came about concerning Pickett...there's usually a scapegoat.

Yes I did. your post clearly implied that Pickett was responsible for every Confederate lost that day. That burden can only be placed on the commanding officer in the field.

 

[ErnieMac]

From Robert E. Lee by Douglas Southall Freeman. Footnotes from the text follow. No official records of dismissal from the time of the campaign, if they existed, remain, only the reminiscences of Walter Taylor and Giles Cooke of Lee's staff.

During the same afternoon of the dragging march toward Appomattox there disappeared from Confederate command an officer who had played no small part on the bloody stage of northern Virginia. Throughout the operations from March 29 onward, despair had seemed to dominate the heart of Richard H. Anderson, "Fighting Dick." As already indicated,20 he nowhere had fought with his old vigor. After the action at Sayler's Creek he had spent the 7th trying, as he said, to get together the fragments of his command.21 Pickett, that officer had been searching for him, and, at length, had rejoined Longstreet with a handful of men, only about sixty of whom, as he subsequently reported, had muskets when the end came. These survivors were assigned to Mahone.22 After Wise had collected what was left of Johnson's division, the largest of Anderson's units, it was attached to Grimes's division of Gordon's corps.23 Thus was Anderson left without a command, and on the afternoon of the 8th he was formally relieved and notified that he could return to his home, or any other place he might select, and report thence to the Secretary of War.24 The specific reasons for Lee's action were not given — whether he thought Anderson disqualified for further command because of his despair, or whether he considered him culpable for what had happened at Sayler's Creek.25 Whatever the cause, Anderson did not dispute the action. 26 At the same time that Lee relieved Anderson of command, he took the same action regarding Pickett and Bushrod Johnson, but the order regarding Pickett apparently never reached him. As late as April 11 he signed himself, "Maj. Genl. Comdg." Lee thought the order had been given Pickett, and when he saw him later he is said to have remarked, "I thought that man was no longer with the army."27​

21 Anderson's report, Lee MSS. — K; Pickett's report, ibid.​

22 Pickett's report, Lee MSS. — K; Pickett to Latrobe, April 11, 1865, Lee MSS.; William Mahone to W. H. Taylor, Nov. 29, 1891, quoting MS. order of April 8, 1865, Taylor MSS.​

23 O. R., 46, part 1, p1291; Grimes, 117.​

24 Anderson's report, Lee MSS. — K.​

25 There is no reason to believe that intemperance had anything to do with it. One of the members of his staff told C. Irvine Walker, Anderson's biographer, that during his period of command in Virginia, Anderson did not drink.​

26 Cf. his letter of June, 1866 to Lee, covering his final report, Lee MSS. — K.​

27 Lee MSS.; personal statements to the writer by Colonel W. H. Taylor and Major Giles B. Cooke; W. H. Taylor to W. H. Palmer, MS., June 17, 1911. W. H. Palmer to W. H. Taylor, MS., June 24, 1911, Taylor MSS. These two writers recalled the issuance of the order.
​

Some years later in the final volume of Lee's Lieutenant's: A Study in Command Freeman states that the three were relieved because there were no commands suitable to their rank and to have them remain with the army and have no role in its battles would have been a humiliation. Anderson accepted his relief and immediately left the Army. He apparently attempted to reach Joseph Johnston in North Carolina, but Johnston surrendered before he arrived. Bushrod Johnson would deny receiving an official order, but more or less acknowledged his relief in his final official report. In that report Johnson would write:

"On the morning of the 7th of April General Wise, with his own brigade, Wallace's, about 250 of Moody's, and 80 of Ransom's brigade, arrived at Farmville, and formed on the hill on the north side of the Appomattox River. Here the work of collecting stragglers was further prosecuted. About 12 m., having been advised by an officer, who informed me that he was a member of Major-General Gordon's staff, that my command was assigned to General Gordon's corps, we marched under orders from the corps commander in direction of Lynchburg, and continued the movement until 11 o'clock at night.

On Saturday, April 8, 1865, we resumed our march at 4 a.m., and marched until about 3 p.m., encamping about one mile from Appomattox Court-House. Under instructions given by the corps commander to Brigadier-General Walker, my division was moved out, under command of Brigadier General Wallace, about 8 p.m., to Appomattox Court-House, where it remained in line of battle all night, in consequence of a dash made by enemy's cavalry upon that position.

For the operations of the division on the 9th of April, I refer you to the report of Brigadier-General Wallace, who was in command on that day."​

Considering the confusion of the final days it would not be surprising that Pickett did not receive the order. If it was in fact written, it would have been during the night of April 8 - 9. Regarding Lee's alleged comment "Is that man still with this army." I have been unable to find a primary source.

 

[W. Richardson]

Yes I did. your post clearly implied that Pickett was responsible for every Confederate lost that day. That burden can only be placed on the commanding officer in the field.

So the blame and burden goes to the commanding officer ? In this case it would be Robert E. Lee correct ?

Respectfully,

William