Immigrants and the Cracker Line

[Pat Young]

Immigrants played an important role in relieving the hunger among the Union soldiers pinned inside of Chattanooga. This is the second in our series on the Battles for Chattanooga.

Immigrants Help Relieve the Blockade of Chattanooga October 1863 - Long Island Wins

longislandwins.com

 

[lelliott19]

Thanks Pat. I like Nadine Turchin's quote from the article very much:

"Only a free man can endure hunger, cold, and injustice with such boundless patience. I believe that those tribulations are the best proof of the great influence individual freedom can exercise. A citizen-soldier who feels free by his birthright endures all those things because he does not feel obliged to endure them. He has volunteered to serve for the love of liberty, or for the love of adventure, and he accepts the consequence…"

Thank you again for sharing the article.

 

[Ole Miss]

Pat what an excellent article. I spent 2 years attending the University of Chattanooga and often wandered over the whole area of the city and countryside. The Cracker Line was not clearly marked then but many local history buffs knew it and shared with us amatuers.
Good to hear from you again!
Regards
David

 

[JOHN42768]

Thanks for posting

 

[lupaglupa]

I really enjoyed this article. So many great diaries from the CW period and it's always interesting to hear the story of what was happening in the voices of those who were there.

One question though - why was it called the cracker line?

 

[Pat Young]

Pat what an excellent article. I spent 2 years attending the University of Chattanooga and often wandered over the whole area of the city and countryside. The Cracker Line was not clearly marked then but many local history buffs knew it and shared with us amatuers.
Good to hear from you again!
Regards
David

I wish I had been there. My two visits to Chattanooga focused on Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain (and barbeque).

 

[JOHN42768]

I really enjoyed this article. So many great diaries from the CW period and it's always interesting to hear the story of what was happening in the voices of those who were there.

One question though - why was it called the cracker line?

Guessing since hardtack was commonly called crackers, was their means to sustain themselves when foraging was nonexistant

 

[Pat Young]

Guessing since hardtack was commonly called crackers, was their means to sustain themselves when foraging was nonexistant

That is my understanding.

 

[Dead Parrott]

great stuff! Thanks for posting!

 

[Pat Young]

great stuff! Thanks for posting!

My pleasure.

 

[bdtex]

Immigrants played an important role in relieving the hunger among the Union soldiers pinned inside of Chattanooga. This is the second in our series on the Battles for Chattanooga.

Immigrants Help Relieve the Blockade of Chattanooga October 1863 - Long Island Wins

longislandwins.com

Good stuff Pat. Members @Buckeye Bill @KLSDAD and I visited Brown's Ferry in October 2018 the day before the CWT Gathering at Ringgold/Chickamauga started. There's a good walking trail and signage there now.

 

[Louisiana Jayhawker]

I have read and got the impression that the Cracker Line was basically a creation of Baldy Smith and Rosecrans. Whereupon Grant appears on the scene belatedly and he got Baldy Smith allied and they together got most of the credit for its creation and effect. Grant goes on to carry Baldy Smith to the East Front whereupon Grant soon make Smith a Corps Commander. Do most see this as truthful history?

 

[James N.]

I have read and got the impression that the Cracker Line was basically a creation of Baldy Smith and Rosecrans. Whereupon Grant appears on the scene belatedly and he got Baldy Smith allied and they together got most of the credit for its creation and effect. Grant goes on to carry Baldy Smith to the East Front whereupon Grant soon make Smith a Corps Commander. Do most see this as truthful history?

Yes; Smith seems to have gotten the credit that probably belongs to Rosecrans for the details of the scheme. Of course, Grant's friend from the Old Army went on to prove a disappointment at corps level - again, having started off there under McClellan.

 

[Bruce Vail]

I don't get it. Is this supposed to be an appreciation of the Russian immigrant role in the Civil War?

 

[bdtex]

Immigrants played an important role in relieving the hunger among the Union soldiers pinned inside of Chattanooga. This is the second in our series on the Battles for Chattanooga.

Immigrants Help Relieve the Blockade of Chattanooga October 1863 - Long Island Wins

longislandwins.com

As I recall, at least one of the soldiers fell off one of those ferry boats that night and drowned because they were under strict orders not to stop or go back if that happened.

 

[Pat Young]

I don't get it. Is this supposed to be an appreciation of the Russian immigrant role in the Civil War?

The series is The Immigrants' Civil War.

 

[Pat Young]

Good stuff Pat. Members @Buckeye Bill @KLSDAD and I visited Brown's Ferry in October 2018 the day before the CWT Gathering at Ringgold/Chickamauga started. There's a good walking trail and signage there now.

Thank you.

 

[wausaubob]

Immigrants played an important role in relieving the hunger among the Union soldiers pinned inside of Chattanooga. This is the second in our series on the Battles for Chattanooga.

Immigrants Help Relieve the Blockade of Chattanooga October 1863 - Long Island Wins

longislandwins.com

It seems like the XI Corp was happier in the west, and probably happy that Rosecrans was not there. Grant seems to have a high tolerance for immigrants, especially the Germans. I don't if he permitted beer drinking. At any rate, O.O. Howard moved up on Grant's favorable disposition and the XI Corp never went back east, if my memory serves correctly.

 

[wausaubob]

The triple convergence planned by Rosecrans and Thomas, was a difficult move. But Grant gave it extra attention based on the previous failure of a convergence at Iulka, MS, and this time it worked.

 

[wausaubob]

I have read and got the impression that the Cracker Line was basically a creation of Baldy Smith and Rosecrans. Whereupon Grant appears on the scene belatedly and he got Baldy Smith allied and they together got most of the credit for its creation and effect. Grant goes on to carry Baldy Smith to the East Front whereupon Grant soon make Smith a Corps Commander. Do most see this as truthful history?

Likely it was Rosecrans' plan. Grant just made sure everyone carried out their parts.