★ ★ Rosecrans, William S.

William Starke "Old Rosy" Rosecrans​

Born: September 6, 1819

Birthplace: Delaware County, Ohio

Father: Crandall Rosecrans 1794 – 1848

Mother: Jemima Hopkins 1794 – 1861

Wife: Ann Eliza Hegeman 1823 – 1883

(Buried: Mount Olivet Cemetery, Washington, D.C.)​

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Married: August 24, 1843 at St. Paul's Church in New York City, New York

Children:

Rev. Adrian Louis Rosecrans 1849 – 1876​

(Buried: Saint Paul the Apostle Church Vault, Manhattan, New York)​

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Sister Mary Louise "Sister St. Charles" Rosecrans 1852 – 1878​

(Buried: Ursuline Cemetery, Saint Martin, Ohio)​

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Lily Elizabeth Rosecrans Toole 1854 – 1939​

(Buried: Resurrection Cemetery, Helena, Montana)​

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Anna Delores "Anita" Rosecrans 1857 – 1903​

(Buried: Old Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Helena, Montana)​

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Carl Frederic Rosecrans 1860 – 1926​

(Buried: Calvary Cemetery, Los Angeles, California)​

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Charlotte Rosecrans 1862 - 1862​

Education:

1842: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (5th​ in class)​

Occupation before War:

1842 – 1843: Brevet 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, Corps of Engineers​

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1842 – 1843: Assistant Engineer for Hampton Roads Fortifications​

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1843 – 1853: 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, Corps of Engineers​

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1843 – 1844: Assistant Engineering Professor at West Point​

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1844 – 1845: Assistant Philosophy Professor at West Point​

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1845 – 1846: Assistant Engineering Professor at West Point​

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1846 – 1847: Principal Assistant Engineering Professor at West Point​

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1847 – 1853: Superintendent Engineer of Repairs at Fort Adams​

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1852 – 1853: Superintendent Engineer of Surveys of Taunton River​

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1852 – 1853: Superintendent Engineer Repairs on Goat Island​

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1853 – 1854: 1st​ Lt. United States Army, Corps of Engineers​

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1853 – 1854: Superintendent Engineer, Washington Navy Yard​

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1854: Resigned from United States Army on April 1st​​

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1854 – 1855: Civil Engineer, and Architect, in Cincinnati, Ohio​

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1855 – 1857: Superintendent of Coal Company, in Coal River, Virginia​

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1856 – 1857: President of Coal River Navigation Company​

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1857 – 1861: Manufacturer of Kerosene Oil in Cincinnati, Ohio​

Civil War Career:

1861: Volunteer Aide to McClellan for Department of the Ohio​

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1861: Colonel, and Chief Engineer in the Union Army​

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1861: Colonel of 23rd​ Ohio Infantry Regiment​

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1861: Commander of Camp Chase, Ohio​

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1861 – 1867: Brigadier General in United States Army​

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1861: Brigade Commander at Battle of Rich Mountain​

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1861: Commander of the Union Army, Department of the Ohio​

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1861 – 1862: Commander of the Army Department of Western Virginia​

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1861: Successful Commander at Battle of Carnifex Ferry​

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1862 – 1866: Major General of Union Army, Volunteers​

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1862: Division Commander at the Siege of Corinth, Mississippi​

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1862: Commander of the Union Army of the Mississippi​

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1862: Successful Commander at Battle of Iuka, Mississippi​

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1862: Union Army Commander of District of Corinth, Mississippi​

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1862: Successful Commander at 2nd​ Battle of Corinth, Mississippi​

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1862 – 1863: Union Army Commander of Army of the Cumberland​

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1862 – 1863: Successful Commander at Battle of Stones River, Tennessee​

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1863: Union Army Commander Occupation of Bridgeport – Stevenson​

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1863: Union Army Commander crossing of Cumberland Mountains​

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1863: Unsuccessful Commander at Battle of Chickamuga, Georgia​

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1863: Commenced fortifying Chattanooga, Tennessee​

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1863 – 1864: Awaiting Orders in Cincinnati, Ohio​

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1864: Union Army Commander of Department of the Missouri​

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1864 – 1865: Awaiting Orders in Cincinnati, Ohio​

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1865: Brevetted Major General, U.S. Army, for Service at Stones River​

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1865 – 1867: On Leave of Absence from the United States Army​

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1866: Mustered out of the Union Army on January 15th​​

Occupation after War:

1861 – 1867: Brigadier General in United States Army​

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1865 – 1867: On Leave of Absence from the United States Army​

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1867: Resigned from United States Army on March 28th​​

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1868 – 1869: U.S. Minister to the Republic of Mexico​

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1869: Declined Democratic Nomination for Governor of Ohio​

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1869 – 1881: Civil and Mining Engineer, Railroad Enterprises in Mexico​

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1871 – 1881: President of San Jose Mining Company​

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1878 – 1881: President of Safety Powder Company in San Francisco​

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1881 – 1885: United States Congressman from California​

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1883 – 1885: House Chairman of Military Affairs Committee​

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1885 – 1893: Register for U.S. Treasury Department​

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1889: Brigadier General, U.S. Army on the retired list of officers​

Died: March 10, 1898

Place of Death: Bernardo Beach, California

Cause of Death: Pneumonia

Age at time of Death: 78 years old

Original Burial Place: Rosedale Cemetery, Los Angeles, California

Final Burial Place: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

 

[DanSBHawk]

This site is small potatoes but imagine an academic who would dare to challenge the accepted story of Grant.

"This site is small potatoes..."

Lol. That reminds me of a line in a Western, where a guy said "Sometimes a man has to be big enough to realize how small he is."

There's are reasons why some historians are widely acknowledged and respected, and some are not.

 

[DanSBHawk]

You have one source in comparison to many others who say otherwise. A second hand source at that. Negley left Horseshoe Ridge and took 20 pieces of Artillery, 14th Corps supply train and most of his Division. This is before the Confederate assault. Negley was sick that day but he got cashiered for his absence. No one knew he was leaving. Thomas would of probably shot him.

Their is no substitute for at least trying to study these battles.

Nope, not second hand. I included both the first-hand version of the father, and the second-hand version as told to his son.

 

[trice]

Now we see why Albert Castel said an honest biographer of Rosecrans would need to be brave.
This site is small potatoes but imagine an academic who would dare to challenge the accepted story of Grant. He'd be labeled a neo- Confederate, apologist for The Lost Cause or worse.

Actually, I played Little League baseball long ago with Frank Varney, who wrote General Grant and the Rewriting of History. His second book, General Grant and the Verdict of History: Memoir, Memory, and the Civil War, will be out soon. Both are published by Ted Savas, childhood friend of Davis Woodbury (who I also know; runs absolutely great Civil War tours), who runs Savas Beatie. Frank's PhD is from Cornell and he taught at the college level for years, so I guess we can call him an "academic".

Frank has certainly been critical of Grant. Many disagree with his position and conclusions strongly. I am not in complete agreement with him either, but I haven't seen anyone call him "a neo- Confederate, apologist for The Lost Cause or worse". I think you are seeing too much in the posts of those who disagree with you.

 

[David Moore]

Actually, I played Little League baseball long ago with Frank Varney, who wrote General Grant and the Rewriting of History. His second book, General Grant and the Verdict of History: Memoir, Memory, and the Civil War, will be out soon. Both are published by Ted Savas, childhood friend of Davis Woodbury (who I also know; runs absolutely great Civil War tours), who runs Savas Beatie. Frank's PhD is from Cornell and he taught at the college level for years, so I guess we can call him an "academic".

Frank has certainly been critical of Grant. Many disagree with his position and conclusions strongly. I am not in complete agreement with him either, but I haven't seen anyone call him "a neo- Confederate, apologist for The Lost Cause or worse". I think you are seeing too much in the posts of those who disagree with you.

Castel used the term brave. I'm just surmising why he would use such a strong word.

 

[trice]

Castel used the term brave. I'm just surmising why he would use such a strong word.

There is a long way from "brave" to "a neo- Confederate, apologist for The Lost Cause or worse". Try being a bit more restrained and not always jumping to an extreme. It will make life easier.

 

[rbasin]

People obsess over Grant being surprised, at Shiloh or wherever. But probably one of the worst and portent surprises was when Rosecrans, on about Sept 12, '63, gradually realized that Bragg was not running away but concentrating for battle.

And Rosecrans realized he had his own forces scattered.

Rosecrans was lucky he was facing Bragg and not a more aggressive commander.

 

[rbasin]

Rosecrans simply was over his head after Chickamauga. He wasn't the man to continue in command.

 

[David Moore]

Alfred Lacey Hough was sent from the battlefield into Chattanooga to find Rosecrans and receive orders. Hough found Rosecrans and later wrote, somewhat delicately, that Rosecrans showed "the want of the one requisite of a great military commander, firmness and self-reliance under adverse circumstances." Hough told his son a more detailed account:

View attachment 414020

This is the source for the story of Rosecrans crying and seeking comfort from a priest.
There are some problems with the source however.
Hough's book -published around 1957- is a creation/recreation from several sources some of which don't exist anymore. The crying incident is not in the main part of the text by Hough but rather in a footnote added by his son who said his father told him the story.
The incident itself is not corroborated by any other source that I have come upon. Surely such a dramatic scene would have been noticed and noted by other witnesses. I've come upon none. There are many other eye witness accounts written just after Chickamauga which portray Rosecrans firmly in command and rousing the troops. I will post one that one can find on the internet.
Attached is a link to Hough's book; the first few pages explain what it is and what it's sources are https://archive.org/details/soldierinwest00houg

 

[DanSBHawk]

This is the source for the story of Rosecrans crying and seeking comfort from a priest.
There are some problems with the source however.
Hough's book -published around 1957- is a creation/recreation from several sources some of which don't exist anymore. The crying incident is not in the main part of the text by Hough but rather in a footnote added by his son who said his father told him the story.
The incident itself is not corroborated by any other source that I have come upon. Surely such a dramatic scene would have been noticed and noted by other witnesses. I've come upon none. There are many other eye witness accounts written just after Chickamauga which portray Rosecrans firmly in command and rousing the troops. I will post one that one can find on the internet.
Attached is a link to Hough's book; the first few pages explain what it is and what it's sources are https://archive.org/details/soldierinwest00houg

Hough's book was taken from his letters, and from the autobiography that he began writing in 1875. Hough's account is this:

This is an eyewitness account. There are no "problems" with it. Why would someone dismiss this source, and yet believe that Grant was drunk at Iuka, for which there is no eyewitness source?

 

[David Moore]

There is a long way from "brave" to "a neo- Confederate, apologist for The Lost Cause or worse". Try being a bit more restrained and not always jumping to an extreme. It will make life easier.

Have you seen Mr Baldwin's review of Dr Varney's book? He wrote it before he finished reading the book. It can be found on line at
brettschulte.net. Caution: it's not very restrained.

 

[David Moore]

Rosecrans simply was over his head after Chickamauga. He wasn't the man to continue in command.

I'm guessing you haven't read The War Dept's report on the relief of Chattanooga? It gives credit to the man you say was in over his head. Wil send a link if you wish.

 

[NedBaldwin]

Have you seen Mr Baldwin's review of Dr Varney's book? He wrote it before he finished reading the book. It can be found on line at
brettschulte.net. Caution: it's not very restrained.

I didn't call him a neoconfederate or lost causer

I found his documentation and scholarship to be really bad. I would think if you actually cared about scholarship you would celebrate my review but the fact that you keep defending Varney is what to me undercuts your credibility. You've shown through your advocacy of him that you don't care about the documentation you care about the conclusions

 

[David Moore]

This Mr Hawk is an eyewitness account.
I've seen many more like this. Happy to supply with them.
https://dan-masters-civil-war.blogspot.com/2021/06/stout-enough-hearts-for-fray-buckeye.ht

 

[David Moore]

This Mr Hawk is an eyewitness account I came upon recently plenty more like it if you'd like to see themmm.
https://dan-masters-civil-war.blogspot.com/2021/06/stout-enough-hearts-for-fray-buckeye.html

 

[DanSBHawk]

This Mr Hawk is an eyewitness account I came upon recently plenty more like it if you'd like to see themmm.
https://dan-masters-civil-war.blogspot.com/2021/06/stout-enough-hearts-for-fray-buckeye.html

From your link:

"After we had possession of Chattanooga--the object we "struck out" for--Rosecrans marched on beyond Chattanooga a short distance, just for the purpose of seeing how Bragg stood, and when he came up to him he found that Bragg had reinforcements, and was going to stand and give him battle, (for the first time since we have been following him,) so we "pitched in" and fought him hard for two days, when Rosy thought it bad policy to fight his army against a force double his own, and so he fell back handsomely and in good order..."​

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Quite the rose-colored glasses there. Oh, and nowhere does the writer claim to be an eyewitness to Rosecrans' condition after he fled the battlefield.

It should be noted that the 14th Ohio was part of Brannan's division, which was flanked and routed during the confederate break-through, and suffered almost 40% casualties.

 

[rbasin]

I'm guessing you haven't read The War Dept's report on the relief of Chattanooga? It gives credit to the man you say was in over his head. Wil send a link if you wish.

You guessed wrong. Everyone has his/her limit. But thanks.

 

[Irishtom29]

Well, whatever it was that was needed to succeed as an army commander in that war, Rosecrans lacked it. Several people had it--Grant, Sherman, Meade, Thomas, Ord, MacPherson, Sheridan, Schofield; even Howard, talk about a comeback. And Slocum. And Canby.

 

[rbasin]

Well, whatever it was that was needed to succeed as an army commander in that war, Rosecrans lacked it. Several people had it--Grant, Sherman, Meade, Thomas, Ord, MacPherson, Sheridan, Schofield; even Howard, talk about a comeback. And Slocum. And Canby.

They all had a role. Rosecrans' role ended September of 1863.

 

[trice]

Have you seen Mr Baldwin's review of Dr Varney's book? He wrote it before he finished reading the book. It can be found on line at
brettschulte.net. Caution: it's not very restrained.

That's somebody else. I am asking you to be more restrained for your own sake. If you always go to the extremes, you will usually be wrong.

 

[trice]

They all had a role. Rosecrans' role ended September of 1863.

Well, ended is a strong term. He was re-assigned to an important post and provided some good service in 1864.