Murfreesboro Retreat after Battle of Murfreesboro

Joined
May 18, 2005
Location
Spring Hill, Tennessee
Was the Confederate retreat after the Battle of Murfreesboro one of the most unfortunate events for the Confederacy in the west?

It was advised by most of the corps and division commanders to retreat.

Was there a good possibility of holding the line there or perhaps pushing in rear of the Federal army in the days following the battle to create a much tougher situation for the Feds?
 
Murreesboro?

gunny said:
Was the Confederate retreat after the Battle of Murfreesboro one of the most unfortunate events for the Confederacy in the west?

Do you mean the 'Battle pf Nashville,' of which Murfreesboro was a minor fracas.

It was advised by most of the corps and division commanders to retreat.

OK

Was there a good possibility of holding the line there or perhaps pushing in rear of the Federal army in the days following the battle to create a much tougher situation for the Feds?

I doubt it (if your still talking about Murfreesboro), since the armies were almost equal and Hood called on Forrest to return to Nashville to protect his rear.


Don
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I believe Gunny was referring to the Battle of Murfreesboro Dec 31, 1862 - Jan 1, 1863. The Murfreesboro battle Dec 7, 1864 was referred to as the Battle of the Cedars. The Murfreesboro event 1862/3 was a helluva fight. This battle fell in sequence between Shiloh and Chickamauga. The Confederates were not as organized as many might have wished and were giving up what later proved to be valuable territory, namely the supply route for the Union forces depending on food and ammo from the Cumberland storehouses in Nashville. More offense at this time might have well made a difference in the western campaign. Not much help for R.E. Lee either way.
 
Time for the inevitable punching bag. By this point at the Battle of Stones River, or Murfreesboro 2 the lower level commnaders had lost faith in Bragg. He simply could not make up his mind as to what to do. I.E. allowing the uncoordinated attacks against Hazen. Or the ill advised attack on Jan. 2. If this is the battle that is being talked about. If not just ask away, if it is one of the other battles that took place in Murfreesboro during the war.
 
Bragg, no doubt, becomes a punching bag on many occassions, but he at least asked the opinion of his corps and division commanders. They all felt, I believe, without exception, that the army was too beat up to continue operations against Rosecrans.

We of course have the benefit of hindsight and know the shape of both armies now, but could Confederate cavalry have continued to harrass and destroy the supply line enough to conduct another heavy fight in the weeks following the battle. Say by the first of Feb. or so?

It seems to me that the COnfederates still had the upper hand at this point and had they maintained the initiative, instead of surrendering it, they may well have caused a Federal retreat at the very least. This would have left vast territory open for the Confederates to forage and operate in. The Federal retrograde would have been seen as a major victory - even if it had been conducted in a very orderly fashion.
 
Gunny,
With the amount of research you've done on the 16th TN, I'd love to pick your brain sometime on the 8th TN prior to and during the Battle of Mufreesboro.
We had a relative mortally wounded during the battle, Captain Napoleon Monroe Bearden Co. E of the 8th.


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Awesome picture of him! Looks like he suffered for 22 1/2 days. Awful.

I feel like my relationship with the (especially) the 8th Tennessee and also the 28th Tennessee is very dear to me as they were to my great-great-grandfather in the 16th. The 8th and 16th were literally side by side from July 1861 until the surrender at Bentonville in April 1865. The 28th joined them in the Spring of '63 till the war's close.

Have a lot of info in my histories of the 16th. The way I look at it - what ever the 8th experienced - the Sixteenth did too and the other way around.

This is some 8th Tennessee specific info. I have found. There is more, but it is not all categorized together yet.

8th Tennessee Infantry

Individual stories from Captain John S. Quarles’ Memoir

Located at Stones River national Battlefield


4th Cpl. Joseph Leipshuts (the Jew from Bavaria) became Adj. of the regiment after Morgan’s death on July 22. Signally distinguished himself at Franklin where he was killed at the works at night.

1st Musician Napoleon B. Young threw away his drum, which rolled down the hill at Perryville and picked up a gun from a wounded man, fighting into the night attack and was severely wounded in two places. He was captured and later returned and promoted to Capt. And A. C. S. and Chief Musician until the end of the war.

John Litton Brown killed early in the fight at Chicamauga on Sept. 19, 1863.

William Buchanon was severely wounded at Murfreesboro, but came back to fight at Franklin where he showed great bravery and was severely wounded. He was later captured and sent to Rock Isle and released a thte end of the war and killed while making his way back home through West Virginia in a case of mistaken identity.

The Battle of Sugar Creek was, “last one we were in.”

Lt. Abram G. Denton had his head shot off while charing the Round Forrest by a cannon ball.

William B. Fox, “Ugly Bill” died of his leg wound received at Murf, and his brother William A. Fox, “Pretty Bill” was so shocked by the explosion of a shell at Murf, that he never recovered and returned to his family in Gainseboro.

R. H. Gaines lost a gold ring that was given to him by a friend in his youth the night before the battle of Murfreesboro and saw it as a bad omen. The next day his head was shot off by a cannon ball in the advance on Round Forrest.

Pendleton Huff was severely wounded on the New Hope line but recovered in time to fight at Franklin. He was wounded in the mouth by a bullet that cut both of his lips nearly off. He was Quarles’ last mess mate.

Lankin Law was wounded four times by a shell’s explosion at Perryville. None of his wounds ever healed.

Perry F. Morgan was Adjutant after the battle of Murfreesboro. He was killed at Atlanta on the 22nd of July when ordered to take some men on a charge up a road to the enemy’s second line of works. The men declined to go at first, so he led the charge up the road and was killed by a shot in the chest through his watch.

John V. Minor transferred from the 28th Tennessee and was wounded three times at Murfreesboro, but refused to leave the firing line. He was later discharged for one of these wounds.

James F. McCue acted in the commissary department as a lieutenant after being elected in March of 1863 and was tasked with burying the dead after fights. He remained mostly in the commissary department until the day before the battle of Franklin he returned to the company and fought in the ranks with the boys. He “acted with great bravery in the battle particularly after night where we had such a struggle at the angle in the works where we lost so many men. McCue was killed late at night at the works which we held. His bones now lie in McGavock Cemetery at Franklin, Tn. No more worthy soldier was buried there of the fourteen hundred.”

William M. Poston (Bill) was Orderly Sergeant at Corinth, Mississippi. He was killed at Murfreesboro on Dec. 31, 1862. James F. McCue buried him the next day and stated that he was struck with more than twenty bullets.

Thomas J. Poston was elected 5th Sergeant at Corinth. He was killed on July 22, 1864 at Atlanta. He had a premonition the night before that he would die in the battle. “An order came to us to pile up our blankets & knapsacks. We had just drawn new knapsacks. Tom came to me & requested that I should cut the straps of his knapsack. I told him not to do that but just unbuckle the straps. ‘Oh no’ he said. ‘ I expect to be killed out here & I want you to tell my people how I went.’ I told him if he felt that way not to go into the battle, stating to him that it was a very hot day & there were many good men who had broke down & had not been able to get there & further more that one man would not turn the tide of the battle. He answered by saying, ‘I can’t do that. I shall go. I am going to leave it with him that does all things well.’ He did go. I saw him shot. He was in front of me. Say, 7 to 10 steps & if ever anyone saw a bullet come out of a man, I saw the bullet as it came out of him. He was shot in the breast. The bullet came out just under his left shoulder blade.”

John S. Quarles was elected 3rd Lieutenant at Corinth. The Captain, 1st and 2nd Lieutenants were killed at Murfreesboro, and in March he was unanimously elected Captain and served as such until the surrender. He and Major Buford, Lieutenant Robert Montgomery and Lieut. William and Captain Fowler of the 28th Tennessee were ordered to report to General Dibrell at Salisbury, N. C. by General Cheatham. “…to our surprise, President Davis by some ____ was on hand & we were to be his escort across the country. So we went with him as far as Washington, Ga. where he told Gen. Dibrell his services were no longer needed, so President Davis went on to his capture and we surrendered & returned to our homes & citizenship.”

G. S. Wheeler was, “…a fine soldier & Christian gentleman, was a great singer, never used any bad language or gambled. He served as a private until he was killed in the Battle of Franklin, Tn. on Nov. 30th, 1864. He had been seriously wounded in front of Atlanta, but got well & came with Gen. Hood into Tennessee.”

Lafayette Washburn was a private until shortly after Perryville when he transferred to the 8th Tennessee Cavalry. At Perryville he said to Quarles, “I don’t think I can go much further.” Quarles answered, “I feel the same way, but we will go as long as we can, then everybody will know why we are not up.” Quarles stated that he “cheered up & when the order was given to go forward he went into the charge as vigorously as if we had not been supporting a battery all day. The Yankees ran from a point they had vigorously defended all day; we captured 4 cannon in this charge. The charge was made by the 8th and 51st Tenn. Inf. This was late in the evening. The battle had been very stubborn. When the enemy in our front gave way, the Gen. in command said, the 8th & 51st had won the day.” Washburn, “…exhibited great bravery when a cowardly major gave the order of ‘fall back men,’ which order was not obeyed. The enemy was then running, Washburn helped prep the men forward.” “Ask Pole Young who that Major.”

Joseph Hamlet enlisted in December of 1862 and was killed at Franklin. A friend had dreamed that Joe would be killed and begged him not to go into the fight. Joe refused saying that, “…he had rather be killed than disgrace his children, so he went into the battle and was killed late at night at the works that we had previously taken and the Federals were trying to retake.”

Jacob Lipsheets (Leipshirts)(Acutally – Lepsheets and probably Liepshietz) enlisted right after Murfreesboro. “…he was killed in the 2nd day’s battle at ___ (Jonesboro?) Georgia. Respect and fearless to a fault, seemingly he unduly exposed himself & was killed on the skirmish line in front of the works.”

John Toney enlisted on Dec. 21, 1862 and was killed or captured at Murfreesboro.




Memphis daily appeal., January 26, 1864, Image 1, col. 2
“LETTER FROM DALTON.”

Correspondence Memphis Appeal.]

DALTON, January 23, 1864.

“From thence, it followed the fortunes of the army of Tennessee, and was engaged actively in the battle of Perryville, Ky., where its gallantry was highly complimented by its corps, division and brigade commanders for gallantry and good conduct on that bloody field. It returned to Middle Tennessee, and on the hard contested field of Murfreesboro, sustained as heavy a loss as is probably recorded in history. The 8th went into this fight with 457 officers and men; it lost, in killed and wounded, 310 men. Col. Moore, its then gallant commander, was killed on the field, in the beginning of the fight, when the command devolved on Lieut.-Col. (now colonel) Jno. H. Anderson. It lost in commissioned officers thirty out of thirty-seven, and seven out of the ten captains. The colors were shot down four times. The color bearer and color-guards, eight in number, had seven out of eight killed and wounded. Six of its companies, after, did not have a commissioned officer left. Two of the companies had every commissioned and non-commissioned officer killed and wounded. One company lost twenty-three men out of thirty killed and wounded! Another went in with sixty-seven men and lost fifty-two! There were only forty-six men out of the 457 who went into the battle, who came out without being struck somewhere with Yankee lead or iron. The clothes of many men were riddled with bullets. The regiments captured in the battle and brought out with them 412 Yankee prisoners, and six pieces of artillery, and was engaged for four hours under this heavy fire with what resulted to themselves and the Yankees this record has shown. Can an army, composed of such heroes, be finally conquered by vandal mercenaries?”

Memphis daily appeal., May 11, 1864, Image 1
About Memphis daily appeal. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, col. 2, “List of the wounded at Resaca.”


A. Mattock, Company C, 8th Tennessee was sent to Medical College Hospital in Atlanta on May 10, 1864.


List of Casualties from Chickamauga in Memphis Daily Appeal, Sept. 29, 1863, page 1, col. 2
82 Casualties (3 Killed, 78 Wounded, 1 Missing)
 
Thanks man.
I read a interesting article on your book(s) in the MTEMC newsletter IIRC, are you still working at the Pig?...or did I just dream that up?
 
Yes... unfortunately. I'm still waiting for a million dollars to drop out of the sky! :nah disagree:

Lol, gonna swing by one day to visit, my office is just down Columbia on Century Ct.
I've been planning to do that since reading the article, only so many hours in the day it seems....
 
Awesome picture of him! Looks like he suffered for 22 1/2 days. Awful.

I feel like my relationship with the (especially) the 8th Tennessee and also the 28th Tennessee is very dear to me as they were to my great-great-grandfather in the 16th. The 8th and 16th were literally side by side from July 1861 until the surrender at Bentonville in April 1865. The 28th joined them in the Spring of '63 till the war's close.

Have a lot of info in my histories of the 16th. The way I look at it - what ever the 8th experienced - the Sixteenth did too and the other way around.

This is some 8th Tennessee specific info. I have found. There is more, but it is not all categorized together yet.

8th Tennessee Infantry

Individual stories from Captain John S. Quarles’ Memoir

Located at Stones River national Battlefield


4th Cpl. Joseph Leipshuts (the Jew from Bavaria) became Adj. of the regiment after Morgan’s death on July 22. Signally distinguished himself at Franklin where he was killed at the works at night.

1st Musician Napoleon B. Young threw away his drum, which rolled down the hill at Perryville and picked up a gun from a wounded man, fighting into the night attack and was severely wounded in two places. He was captured and later returned and promoted to Capt. And A. C. S. and Chief Musician until the end of the war.

John Litton Brown killed early in the fight at Chicamauga on Sept. 19, 1863.

William Buchanon was severely wounded at Murfreesboro, but came back to fight at Franklin where he showed great bravery and was severely wounded. He was later captured and sent to Rock Isle and released a thte end of the war and killed while making his way back home through West Virginia in a case of mistaken identity.

The Battle of Sugar Creek was, “last one we were in.”

Lt. Abram G. Denton had his head shot off while charing the Round Forrest by a cannon ball.

William B. Fox, “Ugly Bill” died of his leg wound received at Murf, and his brother William A. Fox, “Pretty Bill” was so shocked by the explosion of a shell at Murf, that he never recovered and returned to his family in Gainseboro.

R. H. Gaines lost a gold ring that was given to him by a friend in his youth the night before the battle of Murfreesboro and saw it as a bad omen. The next day his head was shot off by a cannon ball in the advance on Round Forrest.

Pendleton Huff was severely wounded on the New Hope line but recovered in time to fight at Franklin. He was wounded in the mouth by a bullet that cut both of his lips nearly off. He was Quarles’ last mess mate.

Lankin Law was wounded four times by a shell’s explosion at Perryville. None of his wounds ever healed.

Perry F. Morgan was Adjutant after the battle of Murfreesboro. He was killed at Atlanta on the 22nd of July when ordered to take some men on a charge up a road to the enemy’s second line of works. The men declined to go at first, so he led the charge up the road and was killed by a shot in the chest through his watch.

John V. Minor transferred from the 28th Tennessee and was wounded three times at Murfreesboro, but refused to leave the firing line. He was later discharged for one of these wounds.

James F. McCue acted in the commissary department as a lieutenant after being elected in March of 1863 and was tasked with burying the dead after fights. He remained mostly in the commissary department until the day before the battle of Franklin he returned to the company and fought in the ranks with the boys. He “acted with great bravery in the battle particularly after night where we had such a struggle at the angle in the works where we lost so many men. McCue was killed late at night at the works which we held. His bones now lie in McGavock Cemetery at Franklin, Tn. No more worthy soldier was buried there of the fourteen hundred.”

William M. Poston (Bill) was Orderly Sergeant at Corinth, Mississippi. He was killed at Murfreesboro on Dec. 31, 1862. James F. McCue buried him the next day and stated that he was struck with more than twenty bullets.

Thomas J. Poston was elected 5th Sergeant at Corinth. He was killed on July 22, 1864 at Atlanta. He had a premonition the night before that he would die in the battle. “An order came to us to pile up our blankets & knapsacks. We had just drawn new knapsacks. Tom came to me & requested that I should cut the straps of his knapsack. I told him not to do that but just unbuckle the straps. ‘Oh no’ he said. ‘ I expect to be killed out here & I want you to tell my people how I went.’ I told him if he felt that way not to go into the battle, stating to him that it was a very hot day & there were many good men who had broke down & had not been able to get there & further more that one man would not turn the tide of the battle. He answered by saying, ‘I can’t do that. I shall go. I am going to leave it with him that does all things well.’ He did go. I saw him shot. He was in front of me. Say, 7 to 10 steps & if ever anyone saw a bullet come out of a man, I saw the bullet as it came out of him. He was shot in the breast. The bullet came out just under his left shoulder blade.”

John S. Quarles was elected 3rd Lieutenant at Corinth. The Captain, 1st and 2nd Lieutenants were killed at Murfreesboro, and in March he was unanimously elected Captain and served as such until the surrender. He and Major Buford, Lieutenant Robert Montgomery and Lieut. William and Captain Fowler of the 28th Tennessee were ordered to report to General Dibrell at Salisbury, N. C. by General Cheatham. “…to our surprise, President Davis by some ____ was on hand & we were to be his escort across the country. So we went with him as far as Washington, Ga. where he told Gen. Dibrell his services were no longer needed, so President Davis went on to his capture and we surrendered & returned to our homes & citizenship.”

G. S. Wheeler was, “…a fine soldier & Christian gentleman, was a great singer, never used any bad language or gambled. He served as a private until he was killed in the Battle of Franklin, Tn. on Nov. 30th, 1864. He had been seriously wounded in front of Atlanta, but got well & came with Gen. Hood into Tennessee.”

Lafayette Washburn was a private until shortly after Perryville when he transferred to the 8th Tennessee Cavalry. At Perryville he said to Quarles, “I don’t think I can go much further.” Quarles answered, “I feel the same way, but we will go as long as we can, then everybody will know why we are not up.” Quarles stated that he “cheered up & when the order was given to go forward he went into the charge as vigorously as if we had not been supporting a battery all day. The Yankees ran from a point they had vigorously defended all day; we captured 4 cannon in this charge. The charge was made by the 8th and 51st Tenn. Inf. This was late in the evening. The battle had been very stubborn. When the enemy in our front gave way, the Gen. in command said, the 8th & 51st had won the day.” Washburn, “…exhibited great bravery when a cowardly major gave the order of ‘fall back men,’ which order was not obeyed. The enemy was then running, Washburn helped prep the men forward.” “Ask Pole Young who that Major.”

Joseph Hamlet enlisted in December of 1862 and was killed at Franklin. A friend had dreamed that Joe would be killed and begged him not to go into the fight. Joe refused saying that, “…he had rather be killed than disgrace his children, so he went into the battle and was killed late at night at the works that we had previously taken and the Federals were trying to retake.”

Jacob Lipsheets (Leipshirts)(Acutally – Lepsheets and probably Liepshietz) enlisted right after Murfreesboro. “…he was killed in the 2nd day’s battle at ___ (Jonesboro?) Georgia. Respect and fearless to a fault, seemingly he unduly exposed himself & was killed on the skirmish line in front of the works.”

John Toney enlisted on Dec. 21, 1862 and was killed or captured at Murfreesboro.




Memphis daily appeal., January 26, 1864, Image 1, col. 2
“LETTER FROM DALTON.”

Correspondence Memphis Appeal.]

DALTON, January 23, 1864.

“From thence, it followed the fortunes of the army of Tennessee, and was engaged actively in the battle of Perryville, Ky., where its gallantry was highly complimented by its corps, division and brigade commanders for gallantry and good conduct on that bloody field. It returned to Middle Tennessee, and on the hard contested field of Murfreesboro, sustained as heavy a loss as is probably recorded in history. The 8th went into this fight with 457 officers and men; it lost, in killed and wounded, 310 men. Col. Moore, its then gallant commander, was killed on the field, in the beginning of the fight, when the command devolved on Lieut.-Col. (now colonel) Jno. H. Anderson. It lost in commissioned officers thirty out of thirty-seven, and seven out of the ten captains. The colors were shot down four times. The color bearer and color-guards, eight in number, had seven out of eight killed and wounded. Six of its companies, after, did not have a commissioned officer left. Two of the companies had every commissioned and non-commissioned officer killed and wounded. One company lost twenty-three men out of thirty killed and wounded! Another went in with sixty-seven men and lost fifty-two! There were only forty-six men out of the 457 who went into the battle, who came out without being struck somewhere with Yankee lead or iron. The clothes of many men were riddled with bullets. The regiments captured in the battle and brought out with them 412 Yankee prisoners, and six pieces of artillery, and was engaged for four hours under this heavy fire with what resulted to themselves and the Yankees this record has shown. Can an army, composed of such heroes, be finally conquered by vandal mercenaries?”

Memphis daily appeal., May 11, 1864, Image 1
About Memphis daily appeal. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, col. 2, “List of the wounded at Resaca.”


A. Mattock, Company C, 8th Tennessee was sent to Medical College Hospital in Atlanta on May 10, 1864.


List of Casualties from Chickamauga in Memphis Daily Appeal, Sept. 29, 1863, page 1, col. 2
82 Casualties (3 Killed, 78 Wounded, 1 Missing)

Quality info, thanks for sharing!
 
Wow...very much alike, nice catch.
Isn't it rare to see shoulder boards on Confederates or were they common during early war?
 
Wow...very much alike, nice catch.
Isn't it rare to see shoulder boards on Confederates or were they common during early war?
I think they may have been fairly common - at least in the provisional Army of Tennessee. After they were mustered into Confederate service they fell under Confederate army regulations.

The 7th Tenn. Had lighter color uniforms but had shoulder boards too.
 
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