Of course the use of scouts goes back at least as far as Moses before he entered what is now known as Israel.Did the army of Tennessee use scouts to determine position and movements of opposing union forces?
Did the army of Tennessee use scouts to determine position and movements of opposing union forces?
Of course the use of scouts goes back at least as far as Moses before he entered what is now known as Israel.Did the army of Tennessee use scouts to determine position and movements of opposing union forces?
True basically a spy doesn't wear a uniform and will chat up the locals but if caught will leave this veil of tears.And spies.
Lubliner.
Of course the use of scouts goes back at least as far as Moses before he entered what is now known as Israel.Did the army of Tennessee use scouts to determine position and movements of opposing union forces?
True basically a spy doesn't wear a uniform and will chat up the locals but if caught will leave this veil of tears.And spies.
Lubliner.
Why didn't Grant and Sherman know why they were about to be attacked at Shiloh or Howard who ignored reports of Jackson about to attack XXI Corps? War isn't always so neat and clean stuff happens.So why was the army of Tennessee blind so often? Tullahoma campaign is a good case where efficient use of cavalry scouts to monitor union forces would allow a competent commander to surmise where the main thrust was. I propose that a key failing of the Tennessee army was lack of good basic intel on union positions. movements.
Bragg in fall of 62 performed just as well as Lee.'competent commander' ?
I don't suggest it is neat and clean. Grant, Sherman improved. Bragg a competent officer seemed to go in the other direction.Of course the use of scouts goes back at least as far as Moses before he entered what is now known as Israel.
True basically a spy doesn't wear a uniform and will chat up the locals but if caught will leave this veil of tears.
It wasn't unknown for scouts to wear the enemies uniform to elicit information but that was definitely taking a gamble if caught .
Why didn't Grant and Sherman know why they were about to be attacked at Shiloh or Howard who ignored reports of Jackson about to attack XXI Corps? War isn't always so neat and clean stuff happens.
Leftyhunter
Of course the use of scouts goes back at least as far as Moses before he entered what is now known as Israel.Did the army of Tennessee use scouts to determine position and movements of opposing union forces?
True basically a spy doesn't wear a uniform and will chat up the locals but if caught will leave this veil of tears.And spies.
Lubliner.
Why didn't Grant and Sherman know why they were about to be attacked at Shiloh or Howard who ignored reports of Jackson about to attack XXI Corps? War isn't alwaysSo why was the army of Tennessee blind so often? Tullahoma campaign is a good case where efficient use of cavalry scouts to monitor union forces would allow a competent commander to surmise where the main thrust was. I propose that a key failing of the Tennessee army was lack of good basic intel on union positions. movements.
Recconnosise is hard not easy. Grant went against a fortified position at Cold Harbor because his Scouts didn't quite get him the accurate assessment that Grant needed. Rosecrans didn't quite place his men at Chickamungua where they were needed to prevent the breakthrough.I don't suggest it is neat and clean. Grant, Sherman improved. Bragg a competent officer seemed to go in the other direction.
I am aware of two sources that might be worth reading if you want to know more about scouting in the Army of Tennessee.Did the army of Tennessee use scouts to determine position and movements of opposing union forces?
Thanks will check it out.I am aware of two sources that might be worth reading if you want to know more about scouting in the Army of Tennessee.
S. B. Barron reported that Wade's Supernumary Scouts was a special unit set up for scouting.
S. B. Barron, “Wade’s Supernumary Scouts” Confederate Veteran 11 No. 3 (March 1902) 115.
https://archive.org/details/confederateveter11conf/page/114/mode/2up
Newton Cannon in the 11th Tennessee Cavalry reported that he served in a small scouting unit on the fall 1864 campaign into Tennessee. Cannon, Newton and Campbell H. Brown, The Reminiscences of Sergeant Newton Cannon,
From Holograph Material Provided by His Grandson, Samuel M. Fleming, Jr. (Franklin, Tenn: Carter House Association, 1963).
The problem is poor leadership on the Confederate's part. Despite the largest concentration of Confederate cavarly of the entire war, with two whole corps of cavalry, Bragg, Forest and Wheeler weren't up to snuff when it came to information gathering. In comparison, JEB Stuart was able to give Lee vital intellegence of the enemy army often with just a single brigade on hand, see the Chancellorsville Campaign where he discovers the weak position of 11th Corps and reports it to Lee. Forrest and Wheeler don't have the same willingness to undertake the sort of scouting operations usually required by the cavalry, focusing much more on the combat aspects.So why was the army of Tennessee blind so often? Tullahoma campaign is a good case where efficient use of cavalry scouts to monitor union forces would allow a competent commander to surmise where the main thrust was. I propose that a key failing of the Tennessee army was lack of good basic intel on union positions. movements.
Yeah, he did, but that was before his poor temperment really settled in amongst the rest of the army. Bragg had some tactical ability, but his personal disposition caused so many problems amongst his subordinates as to turn the Army of Tennessee into a dysfunctional mess that will not recover truly for the rest of the war.Bragg in fall of 62 performed just as well as Lee.