This map presents a broad view of the places where William Graham lived, fought and passed through during the three years he participated in the American Civil War. Click on the map to zoom in on particular places.
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Civilian Life
A Short Life
After the Civil War, William Graham resumed his farming life. During the 1865-67 period William Graham was recorded as a farmer in two different places. One location was Horseheads, Chemung County, 18 miles southeast of Townsend, Schuyler County. The second was Wayne, Steuben County, at the county line adjoining Schuyler County and 15 miles northwest from Townsend.
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| Platt/Graham farmhouse prior to being torn down |
Mary had been known to William's sister Libbie since before 1860. The women had lived in the same neighborhood, a few farms apart.
The custom of the men marrying in their 30s or later started, so far as I know, with William's father James who married at age 48. It continued among 'Graham' oldest sons into the present day.
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| Mary Platt Graham about the time of her marriage |
William died on November 22, 1877 at the age of 44, 8.5 years after his marriage. Mary
Graham’s 1900 pension application said kidney & liver disease
incurred during military service was the cause of William’s death.
Doctor William Heist, who was the family physician, said on May 17,
1895, “the hardship and explosives during the war hastened his death. He
was a man of the best habits strictly temperate in every respect. And
one of the best men I ever knew.”
In his obituary, the following was stated: "Especially will the poor and unfortunate miss the sympathy so freely and
delicately rendered to them by the subject of this notice. As a citizen and
neighbor Mr. Graham was esteemed by all who knew him and his life and its
results are a worthy example to be imitated by all his acquaintances as showing
how much that is good and praiseworthy may be accomplished even by a youth in a
strange land without influential surroundings." (Watkins Express, November 29, 1877)
In 1884, William's sister, Elizabeth 'Libbie' Graham (at the age of 46) finally married. Her husband was Eugene Pangborn, a widower with four living children. Three of them ranged from 5 to 15 years of age at the time of the marriage. The youngest, Ruth lived to the age of 102. Elizabeth died at the age of 71 in 1910, never having borne a child of her own.
In 1884, William's sister, Elizabeth 'Libbie' Graham (at the age of 46) finally married. Her husband was Eugene Pangborn, a widower with four living children. Three of them ranged from 5 to 15 years of age at the time of the marriage. The youngest, Ruth lived to the age of 102. Elizabeth died at the age of 71 in 1910, never having borne a child of her own.
Mary Graham applied for a Civil War widow's pension. Elizabeth Pangborn submitted an affidavit as
part of Mary Graham’s 1900 pension application. Elizabeth’s
affidavit said she had known Mary Graham for more than 40 years and knew William Graham for his lifetime. She said she was present at the
marriage of William to Mary in 1869.
Mary's Pioneer Family
Mary's parents were some of the first pioneer settlers of the Townsend area.
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| Brewster Platt |
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| Elizabeth Hovey Platt |
Her immediate Hovey family entered the State of New York at Niagara Falls. The British burned them out during the War of 1812 and they migrated to Canadaigua, New York. Around 1830 they arrived in Townsend. She married Brewster in 1835.
After Brewster's 1835 marriage to Betsey Hovey, the brothers divided the farm with Brewster taking the south portion. John Platt subsequently sold his portion and moved on to Illinois.
Brewster and his wife had one son, Hiram Hovey and one daughter, Mary Elizabeth. The son, Hiram died at 24 in the Civil War. Mary Elizabeth Platt was born on Christmas day in 1842.
A Hard Life
William's premature death in 1877, at the age of 44, left Mary a widow with two small children (age 6 [almost 7] and 2 years). Mary's elderly father died in 1883 and her invalid mother in 1886. Mary never remarried.
As stated in Mary's pension application, the farm included 106 acres and was valued at $2000 in 1900. It was her family's sole source of sustenance.
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| Mary Platt Graham in 1900. Clearly, the hard farm life has taken its toll. |
To put some hard numbers on their poverty, the following was stated in Mary's pension application: Personal property consisted of $500 of furniture, farming implements and stock plus $500 in US Bonds. Gross yearly income does not exceed $200 out of which must be paid taxes and repairs. This leaves a net income of $100. Produce of the farm included wheat, oats, potatoes, butter, wool, pigs, calves and other livestock.
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| Hiram Hovey Graham about 1903 |
Mary wanted to educate her son Hiram and so sent him in a horse and buggy to school 13 miles north in Dundee. Hiram finally had to quit school before graduation when his mother could no longer get help in running the farm.
Hiram self educated himself from that point forward, becoming a political power in Schuyler County and elected a member of the New York State Assembly (lower legislative body) in 1918.
In 1983, Hiram's only son, Joseph Graham, described him as "pretty well known as a raconteur and he enjoyed nothing more than getting together with a group of three or thirty to tell a humorous episode."
Mary Platt Graham died in 1905 at the age of 62. She lived to see both her children married and the birth of two grandchildren.
Hiram Platt
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| Hiram Platt's Portrait |
On August 14, 1862, Hiram enlisted as a corporal with Company A of the 141st Regiment. At his enlistment he was described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, of florid complexion, with blue eyes and auburn hair.
According to his war record, he was absent on
leave in New York from February 10, 1864 until March 10, 1864. While
home on furlough in Dix, New York, he died of chronic diarrhea on May 9,
1864. He was 24 years old at his death. His sister's future son was
named for him.
He never married but was engaged to Delia
Coryell. In 1860, Adelia Coryell was 17 years old and working as a
teacher. She lived with her father and mother and 19 year old sister
Harriet on a farm in the Town of Dix.
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| Some doodles from Hiram's diary |
According to stories handed down in the family,
Hiram was handsome and very intelligent. His single surviving diary
would support the latter characteristic. His surviving photo would
support the former.
Hiram kept several diaries during the war. The
two best diaries, depending on who told the story, were lost either by
(1) theft when my father took them to school as a boy or (2)
appropriated by his Syracuse College professor to whom he loaned them. Whatever
the exact cause, Hiram's future grand nephew received the blame. Hiram Platt's surviving diary covers the period from August 22, 1862 to May 1, 1863 and contains about 100 pages.
The 141st Regiment fought in numerous battles. However, other than the siege of Suffolk, Virginia, all regimental conflicts with Confederate forces occured subsequent to the period covered in the surviving diary.
Hiram would have participated in a number of skirmishes or battles with the regiment including: Diascund Bridge, Virginia - June 16, 1863, Crump's Cross Roads, Virginia - July 2, 1863, Wauhatchie, Tennessee - October 28-29, 1863, Chattanooga and Rosswill Campaign in Tennessee (including Missionary Ridge) - November 23-27, 1863, and London, Tennessee - December 5, 1863. At the time of his death, the regiment was participating in the Atlanta Campaign.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Aftermath
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| Wagon train in Union occupied Atlanta |
Commentary
Last Letter
This is the last of the letters written by my great grandfather which have come to my attention as of early 2019. I am most grateful to the possessors of these missives for sharing their contents with me.
Based on William's comments in his letter, I would conclude that secrecy was imperative as Sherman planned for and initiated his March to the Sea. With the 'light' city guard duty by the 20th Corps, there appeared to be little danger from Confederate spies, saboteurs or common criminals. After the destruction wrought by the long siege and its aftermath, one might wonder if many of the resident civilians saw the Union troops as protectors?
Meanwhile it appears that Sherman's army was well supplied and fed. A healthy and confident army would soon be led by him across the heartland of the American South. Until the March began, William had his fancy soldier's shanty in Union occupied Atlanta. It also appears that the long awaited pay finally reached his hands and those of his soldier compatriots.
Richmond, Virginia served as the capital of the Confederate States of America during most of the American Civil War. Not only was Richmond the seat of political power for the Confederacy, it served as an important source of munitions, armament, weapons, supplies, and manpower for the Confederate States Army. It was the target of numerous failed attempts by the Federal Army to seize its possession. Richmond finally fell to the victorious Union soldiers in April 1865.
20th Corps
On April 4, 1864 the 11th and the 12th Army Corps were consolidated as the Twentieth Army Corps. Together with other army corps, they formed an army of 100,000 under General William T. Sherman. That vast army would become of one of the most famous in the history of warfare.
On May 4, 1864 the Twentieth Corps started on the Atlanta Campaign. During the next four months it participated in all the important battles - hardest fighting occurring at Resaca, May 15th, at New Hope Church, May 25th, and at Peach Tree Creek, July 20th.
During the four months fighting from Chattanooga to Atlanta, it lost over 7,000 men killed, wounded and missing. Before reaching Atlanta, Hooker had a disagreement with Sherman, and asked to be relieved. He was succeeded by Major-General Henry W. Slocum.
The 20th was actively engaged in the siege of Atlanta, sustaining losses daily in killed and wounded while occupying the breastworks and trenches and skirmishing with enemy forces.
Upon Confederate General Hood's evacuation of Atlanta in the beginning of September, troops of the Twentieth Corps were the first to enter and occupy the city. William's 107th Regiment and the rest of the Corps were assigned responsibility for the occupation and guarding of Atlanta from September 2 to November 15, 1864. The entire 20th Corps remaining there to hold and police this important prize, while Sherman and the rest of the Army went off in pursuit of Hood.
The one break from this 'onerous' assignment was an expedition to Tuckum's Cross Roads from October 26-29, 1864. I have no knowledge about the purpose or success of this expedition. An internet review provided no useful information. Tuckum seems to have disappeared from current maps of the Atlanta area.
However, there is a Tucker located some 20 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. Ironically, Tucker is only about five miles from Stone Mountain where sympathizers of the lost cause financed the carving of a huge monument to three Confederate leaders (a politician and two generals) out of the side of said mountain.
Union occupation of Atlanta lasted two and a half months while Sherman pursued Hood and planned his next move. The course he chose (his legendary March to the Sea) meant abandoning Atlanta to possible Confederate reoccupation. Sherman made sure the city would have no military value. In November, he ordered the destruction of any remaining part of Atlanta that might support war.
The March
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| Raising the colors of the 107th NY at Mil- ledgeville, GA, during the March to the Sea |
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| Sherman entering Savannah December 21, 1864 to accept its surrender |
Outside of Savannah the almost forgotten Battle of Montieth Swamp resulted in a Union victory on December 9, 1864. The subsequent Siege of Savannah lasted for 10 days starting December 10, 1864. It ended with the city's surrender on December 21, 1864. The sea had been reached and the army would now pivot to the north.
The succeeding Carolinas Campaign would last from January to April 1865. The battles, incidents and other highlights experienced by William Graham and the 107th Regiment on this now northward march were as follows:
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| Sherman's Christmas gift to Lincoln |
- Robertsville, S.C., January 29.
- Averysboro, N.C., March 16.
- Battle of Bentonville, NC., March 19-21
- Occupation of Goldsboro, March 24
- Moccasin Swamp, April 10.
- Occupation of Raleigh, NC, April 14.
- Surrender of Johnston and his army - Bennett's House, NC, April 26.
- March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 19.
- Grand Review of the Armies, Washington, DC, May 24.
- Mustered out of the army, Wash., DC, June 5,1865
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Siege of Atlanta
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| William T. Sherman (leaning on breach of cannon) and staff at Federal Fort No. 7 outside Atlanta |
By the second week of July, Sherman's forces had reached the outskirts of
Atlanta, then a city of about 20,000 that served as a rail hub and
manufacturing center. On July 20, 1864 Union cannons reached a position where shells could hit
Downtown Atlanta. For the next 36 days; defensive fortifications, factories, homes, stores and streets were
bombarded. Fortunately, a reduced civilian population meant the number
of non-combatants killed (around 25) was much smaller than it might have
been.
Unsustainable Losses
Coincidentally, the first shells started falling on the
same day the battles for Atlanta would begin in earnest. Over the next six
weeks, a series of battles would change history. General Hood, now that he was in command, decided not to rely exclusively on the extensive defensive fortifications ringing
Atlanta and instead went
on the attack.
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| John Bell Hood |
Hood's first offensive took place on July 20 at the Battle of Peachtree Creek mentioned in the previous post. Despite Hood's determined assault, the Union forces held and were victorious. With an almost 3 to 1 deficit in casualties, the losses were of a magnitude the Confederates could not continue to sustain if they wanted to retain Atlanta. [According to the CWSAC Battle Summary, total casualties were 6,506 (US 1,710; CS 4,796)]
Hood's second offensive followed close on the heels of the first in the Battle of Bald Hill (Also called the Battle of Atlanta) on July 22, 1864. Hood intended to attack the Union troops from both east and west. The
fighting centered on a hill east of the city known as Bald Hill. The Federals had arrived two days earlier, and began to shell Atlanta proper. A savage struggle, sometimes hand-to-hand, developed around the hill,
lasting until just after dark. The victorious Federals retained the hill and this important entrance to Atlanta, while the
Confederates retired away from the hill. A major Union loss in this battle was the death of General James McPherson killed by Confederate skirmishers. [CWSAC Battle Summary, total casualties were 12,140 (US 3,641; CS 8,499)]
The Battle of Ezra Church occurred on July 28, 1864. Up until the end of July, Sherman had approached Atlanta from the east and north. He now decided to attack from the west and cut one of Hood's last railroad supply lines. Hood, in what he thought would be a surprise, sent forces to block the move at Ezra
Church.
Union General Oliver Howard predicted such a maneuver based on his knowledge of Hood from their time together at West Point before the war. Howard's troops were already waiting in their trenches when Hood reached them. Instead of striking the Union flank, the Confederates hit the Union center, where the Yankee troops were positioned behind barricades made from logs and pews taken from the church. Several attacks were made on the Union lines. Each was turned back, and the Confederates were not able to get around the Union flank. Nevertheless, despite the Union victory, the Federals failed to cut the railroad line. [CWSAC Battle Summary, total casualties were 3,562 (US 562; CS 3000)]
Union General Oliver Howard predicted such a maneuver based on his knowledge of Hood from their time together at West Point before the war. Howard's troops were already waiting in their trenches when Hood reached them. Instead of striking the Union flank, the Confederates hit the Union center, where the Yankee troops were positioned behind barricades made from logs and pews taken from the church. Several attacks were made on the Union lines. Each was turned back, and the Confederates were not able to get around the Union flank. Nevertheless, despite the Union victory, the Federals failed to cut the railroad line. [CWSAC Battle Summary, total casualties were 3,562 (US 562; CS 3000)]
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| Federal soldiers relaxing by guns of captured fort during Siege of Atlanta |
The Battle of Jonesboro, August 31 to September 1, 1864, would be the final blow against the Confederate defense of Atlanta. With it now clear that Hood could no longer effectively confront Union forces
in the field, Sherman stepped up the artillery bombardment of
Atlanta and maneuvered to permanently cut the Confederate railroad supply lines.
In previous raids by small detachments, temporary success had been achieved through destruction of parts of the railroad. However, the Confederates had always quickly repaired the damage. Sherman now believed that if he could completely sever Hood's last railroad, the Confederates would be forced to evacuate Atlanta.
In previous raids by small detachments, temporary success had been achieved through destruction of parts of the railroad. However, the Confederates had always quickly repaired the damage. Sherman now believed that if he could completely sever Hood's last railroad, the Confederates would be forced to evacuate Atlanta.
On August 25 Sherman began moving six out of his seven infantry corps
against the railroad between the towns of Rough and Ready and Jonesboro.
In response, two Confederate corps were sent to halt and possibly rout the Union troops. However, Hood
failed to realize that the majority of Sherman's army was approaching in force. The Confederate defending forces were highly outnumbered. Once the last
rail line fell to the federal onslaught, Hood realized saving Atlanta was a hopeless cause. He evacuated the city on September 1, 1864. A long
munitions train was blown up as he left the city so that it wouldn’t fall into Union hands. [CWSAC Battle Summary, total casualties were 3149 (US 1149; CS 2000)]
Casualty figures are a vivid indicator of the circumstances that led to the ultimate Confederate defeat in Atlanta. Since battle figures may vary considerably depending on sources, I have decided to refer to one probably reliable source; the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Battle Summaries. These indicate the total cumulative casualties for each side from the four battles experienced during the Siege of Atlanta as follows: Union 7,062; Confederate 18,295. Given that the Confederate Army forces at Atlanta were outnumbered from the beginning, losses of more that 2.5 to 1 were unsustainable.
Commentary
With his mention of General Howard and William's experience the previous day, in the first two paragraphs he is describing the Battle of Ezra Church.
In the third paragraph he reflects back to July 20th and the Battle of Peachtree Creek.
He seems to think that Sherman does not want to destroy the city given the ability to throw shells over the city combined with not so much Union shelling.
William's mention of the breastworks gives a more positive view early on than the words highlighted below written two weeks later by his commanding officer Col. Crane.
Failure to pay
the soldiers seems to be a continuing problem with the Union Army. Seven
months in arrears is quite a bit. William would certainly put
the money to good use.
General
Hooker's July 22nd request of Sherman to be relieved of command
duty is mentioned in the previous post.
Given the constrained distance
between the two army's lines, it is not surprising that Union
skirmishers get so close to the Confederate lines that the Rebs can not
use all their artillery.
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| Col. Nirom M Crane |
The excerpts in the following letter written on August 12, 1864 by Nirom M. Crane, Commander of the 107th NY Volunteers, William Graham's Regiment, give his commanding officer's view of the the six week siege:
"Just now, we
are within three hundred yards of the enemy's main line, and are
compelled to burrow like rabits to escape the bullets and shells which
are aimed at us from every available point and at all hours of day and
night. We have laid in the trenches nearly three weeks, and I can assure
you, this sort off work is wearing us out very fast—however, we can and
do stand it with a good heart.
Our army line is now about twelve miles
long and I think we are good for the work before us. Hood's army has
been very recently strongly reinforced; and how soon we shall take
Atlanta I cannot tell, but hope quite strongly."
Commentary
[This letter was written 5 days after Atlanta fell to Sherman's Army but provides details regarding its final days as it slipped out of Confederate control. I consider this the gem of William's letters. He clearly states his views and his reasoning on a broad range of topics. I agree with virtually all he says. Wonder how far he would have gone in his life with a better education and different circumstances.]
Note at top of William's letter - Don’t show this letter to anybody, it is so badly written. On side - I have had sweet potatoes today & different good things. Excuse the writing for the ink won’t flow
The Copperheads were a vocal group of Democrats in the Northern United States who opposed the American Civil War, wanting an immediate peace settlement with the Confederates. The name Copperheads was given to them by their opponents, the Republicans, because the venomous, although not usually deadly, copperhead snake can strike without warning (unlike a rattlesnake). The Copperheads nominally favored the Union and strongly opposed the war, for which they blamed abolitionists, and they demanded immediate peace and resisted draft laws. They wanted Lincoln and the Republicans ousted from power, seeing the president as a tyrant who was destroying American republican values with his despotic and arbitrary actions.
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| Abraham Africanus I is a rare Copperhead political pamphlet from 1864 that satirically depicts Abraham Lincoln making a pact with the Devil to become the monarchical ruler of the United States |
This letter was written during the campaign leading up to the 1864 election where Abraham Lincoln won a second term. Sherman's capture of Atlanta contributed to
Lincoln's victory at the polls. Lincoln had been a Republican but he ran
under the National Union Party banner against his former top Civil War
general, the Democratic candidate, George B. McClellan, and the Radical
Republican Party candidate, John C. Frémont.
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| Jefferson Fenis Davis |
William Graham's description of the ruling forces in the South as a stinkin aristocracy of slaveholders
is probably the most vivid depiction in these letters of his strong
feelings regarding the Confederacy. Remaining a loyal soldier of the
Union army for almost three years through numerous battles, despite a
debilitating illness, backs his words with strong action.
Public education,
whether for whites or blacks, was nonexistent in the South before
slavery ended. Wealthy whites sent first their sons and later their
daughters off to private schools and colleges in the North and England.
They objected to paying taxes to support education for those with lesser
means regardless of race.
As soon as slavery ended, freed people began setting up
schools all over the South. Many southern whites were shocked,
appalled, infuriated by this phenomenon. Some responded by burning down
schools, threatening teachers, whipping and killing black teachers and
writing editorials dripping with disgust.
Eventually though, some white elites began to notice that
former slaves were outpacing poor whites on the educational front.
Powerful whites began to discuss the need to provide schooling for poor
whites. Then, during Congressional Reconstruction when black men and
white Northern Republicans were elected to legislatures in the South,
states passed laws that provided for public schooling for whites and
blacks and imposed taxes to fund the schools.
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| Woodcut of early schoolroom, 1826-27 |
William Graham's words, "... that others, the oppressed of all nations, might here have a home in a free country." signify that this poor Irish immigrant (1) possesses a strong bond with poor immigrants
from throughout the world and (2) has powerful feelings of appreciation
for the value placed on the individual in his adopted country.
There was no general military draft
in America until the Civil War. The Confederacy passed its first of 3
conscription acts 16 April 1862, and scarcely a year later the Union
began conscripting men. Government officials plagued with manpower
shortages regarded drafting as the only means of sustaining an effective
army and hoped it would spur voluntary enlistments.
Compulsory service embittered much of the public, who considered it an
infringement on individual free will and personal liberty and feared it
would concentrate arbitrary power in the military. Believing with some
justification that unwilling soldiers made poor fighting men, volunteer
soldiers despised conscripts. Conscription nurtured substitutes,
bounty-jumping, and desertion. Charges of class discrimination were
leveled against both Confederate and Union draft laws since exemptions
and commutation clauses allowed propertied men to avoid service, thus
laying the burden on immigrants and men with few resources.
Occupational, only-son, and medical exemptions created many loopholes in
the laws. Unpopular, unwieldy, and unfair, conscription sometimes seemed to raise more
discontent than soldiers.
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| Union pickets relaxing after successful siege of Atlanta |
Hood evacuated Atlanta on September 1, 1864 and the 20th Corps took possession the next morning, ending the Atlanta Campaign.
Sherman pursued Hood to Lovejoy but found him concentrated
with his entire command in a position that was too strong to be
assaulted. Union forces returned to Atlanta September 4-8, 1864. This was probably the reconnaissance beyond the Chattahoochee River described by William in his letter.
Thomas's command (Army of the Cumberland - where William
Graham and the 107th Regiment fought) occupied Atlanta. Howard's (Army
of the Tennessee) was located nearby at East Point 20 miles southwest of the city, and Schofield's (Army of
the Ohio) was at Decatur 10 miles to the east. Unable to advance farther, but determined to
hold his gains, Sherman evacuated the Southern civilians from the city
and converted it into an armed camp that could be held with the smallest
possible force. Sherman was busy hatching plans to lead the bulk of his army elsewhere.
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| General Henry Slocum |
General Henry Warner Slocum (September 24, 1827 – April 14,
1894), was a Union general during the American Civil War and later
served in the United States House of Representatives from New York.
During the war, he was one of the youngest major generals in the Army
and fought numerous major battles in the Eastern Theater and in Georgia
and the Carolinas.
Controversy arose from his conduct at the Battle of
Gettysburg, where he was accused of indecision and a dilatory advance to
the battlefield, earning him the derogatory nickname "Slow Come".
Slocum was born in Delphi, a hamlet in Onondaga County, New
York. He attended Cazenovia Seminary and worked as a teacher. He
obtained an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West
Point, where he did well academically—considerably better than his
roommate, Philip Sheridan.
As indicated in William Graham's letter, General Slocum was in command of the 20th Corps. General Joseph Hooker asked to be relieved of duty and
Sherman replaced him with Slocum.
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Sherman's Atlanta Campaign
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| Map illustrating the Atlanta Campaign |
The days of guard duty along the Tennessee railroad were no more. On April 4, 1864, the 11th and William's 12th corps were combined into a new Twentieth Army Corps.
Together with other army corps, they would form an army of 100,000
under General William T. Sherman, which would become of one of the most
famous armies in the history of warfare.
The map to the left (Click to enlarge) graphically represents the movements of Sherman's new army from May to September 1864. Hopefully it will help the reader follow the Campaign's progress as discussed in the letters and commentary that follow.
Sherman's army was part of the plan to devastate the
underbelly of the Confederacy. Starting on May 4, 1864, the Twentieth Corps joined the Atlanta campaign, participating during the next four months in all the important battles.
During the first month, the hardest fighting occurring at Resaca on May 15, 1864 and at New Hope Church on May 25, 1864.
William's 107th Regiment fought hard in the many skirmishes and battles on its
way to Atlanta, losing a great many men in the battle of New Hope
Church. The 107th would be among the first troops to enter
Atlanta, ultimately becoming its police force and guard against any future Confederate attacks.
Commentary
Cassville is sometimes referred to as the "Battle that
never was", as Johnston had hoped to isolate and destroy part of
Sherman’s army here. However, the trap was not sprung after John Bell
Hood hesitated in the face of what he believed was a much larger Union
force. Cassville was destroyed by Sherman (11/5/64) in retaliation for
Southern guerrilla activity in the area. It was not rebuilt until the
20th century.
Rocky Face Ridge (May 7-12)
At Rocky Face Ridge, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had entrenched his army on the long, high mountain of Rocky Face Ridge and eastward across Crow Valley.
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| General Joseph Johnston |
The two remaining Union columns under Sherman's direct command engaged the
enemy at Buzzard Roost (Mill Creek Gap) and at Dug Gap. In the meantime,
the third column, under Maj. Gen. James Birdseye McPherson, passed
through Snake Creek Gap and on May 9th advanced to the outskirts of
Resaca where it found Confederates entrenched.
Fearing defeat, McPherson
pulled his column back to Snake Creek Gap. On the 10th, Sherman decided
to take most of his men and join McPherson to take Resaca. The next
morning, Sherman’s army withdrew from in front of Rocky Face Ridge.
Discovering Sherman’s movement, Johnston retired south towards Resaca on
the 12th.
Resaca (May 13-15)
In the Battle of Resaca casualties were about equal on both sides. This is the battle William Graham describes in his letter.
Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had withdrawn from Rocky Face Ridge to the hills
around Resaca. On the 13th, the Union troops tested the Rebel lines to
pinpoint their whereabouts. The next day full scale fighting occurred,
and the Union troops were generally repulsed except on the Rebel right
flank where Sherman did not fully exploit his advantage. On the 15th,
the battle continued with no advantage to either side until Sherman sent
a force across the Oostanula River, at Lay’s Ferry, towards Johnston’s
railroad supply line. Unable to halt this Union movement, Johnston was
forced to retire.
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| Battle of Resaca |
New Hope Church and Dallas (May 25-June 1)
The Battles of New Hope Church and Dallas occurred as a series of engagements beginning after William's May 21 letter was sent. Prior to the battle, Johnston’s army fell back from the vicinity of Cassville-Kinston, first to Allatoona Pass and then to the Dallas area and entrenched. Sherman’s army tested the Rebel line while entrenching themselves.
The Battle of New Hope Church occurred with intense trench warfare and skirmishing associated with an attack on May 25 and 26 under Hooker's 20th Corps command. It was reported that 703 Union soldiers were killed and 350 taken prisoner as a result of this battle. The Battle of Dallas occurred on May 28 when Confederate Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee’s forces, looking for any weakness, probed the Union defensive line held by Maj. Gen. John A. Logan’s forces. Fighting ensued at two different points. The Rebels were repulsed, suffering some 600 more casualties than the Union forces.
Sherman looked for a way around Johnston’s line, and, on June 1, his cavalry
occupied Allatoona Pass, which had a railroad and would allow his men
and supplies to reach him by train. Sherman abandoned his lines at
Dallas on June 5 and moved toward the railhead at Allatoona Pass forcing
Johnston to follow soon afterwards. Since Sherman took great pains to ensure security measures for
his supply and communications lines, he could be fairly confident that
supplies would continue to flow without interruption. The battle resulted in a Union victory.
Confederate Strategic Error
The unwillingness of Confederate authorities in Richmond to temporarily abandon Mississippi and to utilize the substantial forces available there to counter the primary Union threat against Atlanta demonstrated the flaws in Confederate President Davis’ command system. Union diversionary operations in Mississippi effectively kept Forrest – probably the only cavalry leader who could have seriously threatened Sherman’s logistics – away from the Union commander’s railroad lifeline. Because of Sherman’s detailed advance planning, the railroad from Chattanooga to Atlanta (the part of the line in Union hands) was well defended, and the Union army well maintained.
Commentary
William Tecumseh Sherman received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched earth" policies that he implemented in conducting total war against the Confederate States. Military historian Basil Liddell Hart famously declared that Sherman was "the first modern general".[1]
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| General William Tecumseh Sherman |
He proceeded to lead his troops to the capture of the city of Atlanta, a military success that contributed to the re-election of President Abraham Lincoln. Sherman's subsequent march through Georgia and the Carolinas further undermined the Confederacy's ability to continue fighting. He accepted the surrender of all the Confederate armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida in April 1865.
Prior to Atlanta, William Graham's 107th Regiment participated in two more battles after Dallas; Kennesaw Mountain at the end of June and Peachtree Creek two days after this letter was written.
Kennesaw Mountain (June 27)
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain took place on June 27, 1864. On the night of June 18-19, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, fearing envelopment, withdrew his army to a new, previously selected position astride Kennesaw Mountain. This entrenched arc-shaped line, to the north and west of Marietta, protected the Western & Atlantic Railroad, the supply link to Atlanta. Having defeated General John B. Hood troops at Kolb’s Farm on the 22nd, Sherman was sure that Johnston had stretched his line too thin and, therefore, decided on a frontal attack with some diversions on the flanks. On the morning of June 27, Sherman sent his troops forward after an artillery bombardment. At first they made some headway overrunning Confederate pickets. However, attacking an enemy that was well dug in is usually futile. The fighting ended by noon, and Sherman suffered high casualties - 3000 to 1000 for the Rebels.
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| Major General Joseph Hooker |
Hooker led his now 20th Corps (William Graham's Corps) competently in the 1864 Atlanta Campaign under Sherman, but asked to be relieved before the capture of the city because of his dissatisfaction with the promotion of Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard to command of the Army of the Tennessee, upon the death of Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson.
Chattahoochee River Line (July 8 - 9)
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| Example of pontoon bridge used to quickly cross rivers |
General Joseph Johnston's Confederates took up the line as a defensive position following the battle of Kennesaw Mountain. The River Line was such a well-engineered defensive system that Union forces declined a direct assault; instead they dug themselves in to engage in daily artillery duels.
At the River Line on July 8 and 9, Union forces feigned to the right, but crossed the Chattahoochee by the left. Rapidly assembled bridges soon spanned the Chattahoochee, and wagons and men of Sherman’s army were pouring across the waterway to flank the Confederate position. This was the pontoon bridge mentioned in William's letter. Johnston abandoned the River Line on the evening of July 9, 1864.
To secure the real prize – the city of Atlanta – the Federals had to sever its railroads; four lines radiating out of the city to various vital points of the Confederacy. Once across the Chattahoochee, Sherman controlled the first, the Western & Atlantic railroad. Johnston was forced once more to retreat.
Johnston's strategy throughout the Atlanta Campaign seemed to be withdrawal. He would prepare strong defensive positions, only to see Sherman maneuver around them, causing Johnston to fall back in the general direction of Atlanta. Johnston saw the preservation of his army as most important. He handled his army well, slowing the Union advance and inflicting heavier losses than he sustained. However, given the Union's advantage in numbers, it was not enough.
Peachtree Creek (July 20)
By noon of July 17th Johnston's forces waited behind his first line of entrenchments (prepared in advance for this very occasion) south of Peach Tree Creek, an east to west flowing stream, about three miles north of Atlanta. Confederate President Jefferson Davis becoming increasingly irritated by Johnston's withdrawal strategy removed Johnston from command on July 17, 1864. Lt. General John Bell Hood was substituted to command the Confederate army on July 18, 1864, the date of William Graham's letter.
Sherman split his army into three columns for the assault with George H. Thomas’s Army of the Cumberland moving from the north. Johnston had decided to attack Thomas, but it was Hood who actually attacked on July 20, 1864 after Thomas's army crossed Peach Tree Creek. The determined assault threatened to overrun the Union troops at various locations. Ultimately, though, the Yankees held, and the Rebels fell back. Victory went to the Union with the Confederates suffering a level of casualties which they could not long sustain: 4,796 to the Union's 1,710.
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| Clement Vallandigham |
He supported the Crittenden Compromise and proposed (February 20, 1861) a division of the Senate and of the electoral college into four sections, each with a veto. He strongly opposed every military bill, leading his opponents to allege that he wanted the Confederacy to win the war. He was the acknowledged leader of the Copperheads and in May 1862 coined their slogan, "To maintain the Constitution as it is, and to restore the Union as it was."
Monday, March 11, 2019
Wartrace
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| View from the railroad tracks of Wartrace's downtown area. This area of the town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Wartrace Historic District. |
Commentary
The name Wartrace came from a Cherokee Indian trail that once passed through the area. Wartrace is connected to Shelbyville by the Walking Horse and Eastern Railroad, a historic rail line that is still in part-time operation. The town, initially known as "Wartrace Depot," was established in the early 1850s as a stop on the newly constructed Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad.
During the Civil War, the rail line was strategic to both the Union and Confederate armies. The Tennessee campaigns of 1862 and 1863 saw Union troops force the Confederates from Nashville all the way to Chattanooga along the line of the railroad. The tracks and bridges were repeatedly damaged and repaired, and the rolling stock was largely destroyed. At different times the trains carried supplies for both armies.
During the Civil War, the town was the winter headquarters of Confederate General William J. Hardee following the Battle of Stones River. The Old Chockley Tavern in Wartrace was a gathering place for Confederate officers during the Tullahoma Campaign. A skirmish was fought at Wartrace on April 11, 1862. The town eventually came under Union control toward the end of 1863.
With the increase in rail travel in the late 19th century, Wartrace experienced a boom period. At its height, the town had six inns and hotels, and serviced 13 trains per day. One hotel, the Walking Horse Hotel, is still in business today.
William did not have an ordinary peasant's taste in newspapers. He hungered for knowledge, not sensationalism. He sided with those wronged by a slave owning society. He was an abolitionist.
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| Horace Greeley |
Harriet Beecher Stowe, a strong abolitionist wrote for both the New York Evangelist and the Independent...”
The NY Evangelist was published from 1830 to 1902. To give a
sense of the opinion of the publications read by William Graham, a
writer for the New York Evangelist wrote on July 25, 1861: We are
now opening our eyes to the unwelcome fact that they are enemies of the
country, and must be dealt with as TRAITORS. This once settled, scruples
fast vanish about the mode of conducting the war. We feel bound to use
every means in our power to put down a rebellion which is striking at
the very life of the nation.
In the same issue the Evangelist asked: why not make a
speedy end of this dreadful business by at once proclaiming freedom to
the slaves?…Whatever rights they [southerners] had before as loyal
citizens, they have forfeited by their treason and rebellion.
There are 74 Comstock’s with NY regiments,
none with the 107th. In the 1860 Census the only male Comstock of young
man age in Schuyler County (Town of Reading) was John age 13, which
would have made him 17 in 1864.
Davids' Island
is a 78 acre island off the coast of New Rochelle, New York. It is about 5 miles north of Throg's Point, the location of Fort Schuyler, on the western end of Long Island Sound. Currently uninhabited, the island has been owned by the City of New Rochelle for more than 30 years. After a number of false starts, including a brief attempt by Donald Trump to develop the island, its future use remains undetermined. Remaining structures on the island were demolished by the city in 2008. So much for history.
The U.S. Government in April, 1862 rented the island for hospital purposes from the then owner, Thaddeus Davids. Wooden structures were immediately
erected which housed thousands of wounded prisoners from the
battlefields of the Civil War. At the end of the war, Congress
authorized its purchase for military purposes and it was conveyed to the
United States in 1867. It was later converted to a coastal artillery defense post and
was given the name Fort Slocum after Major General Henry W. Slocum, U.S.
Volunteers.
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| Fort Slocum on David's Island in 1968 |
Uncle Bell was the father of Dr. Robert Bell. Uncle Bell's first wife Elizabeth died in 1846 and was the sister of William Graham's father.
The writing of love letters for another is one practice that seems to have disappeared in our society. It still occurs in societies on this planet where literacy is less universal. Not sure who was the Boyes for whom William was writing love letters.
Commentary
William Graham's comments about living in "the midst of sin" and his frequent references to the Lord indicate he was a religious man of the stricter sort. At the same time, his comments about slave owners and his preferences in newspapers would indicate that he was an abolitionist.
Abolitionism had a strong religious base including Quakers, and people converted by the revivalist fervor of the Second Great Awakening in the North in the 1830s. Belief in abolition contributed to the breaking away of some small denominations, such as the Free Methodist Church.
Evangelical abolitionists founded some colleges, most notably Bates College in Maine and Oberlin College in Ohio. In the North, most opponents of slavery supported other modernizing reform movements such as the temperance movement, public schooling, and prison- and asylum-building. They split bitterly on the role of women's activism.
William was raised a Presbyterian in Ireland. The Free Methodist Church was founded in 1860 in western New York near where William Graham worked as a farmer. They opposed slavery, supporting freedom for all slaves in the United States.
The denomination was more conservative than the regular Methodists with regards to drinking, smoking, gambling, jewelry and modern dancing. Given these beliefs, and the association of his descendants in Schuyler County with the Methodist Church, there is a strong possibility that William was a Free Methodist.
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| Methodist camp revival meeting in the 1830s |
Dr. Robert Bell - Detailed information on his life may be found in William's Letter Correspondents.
This mention of a shilling is the only indication in William Graham's surviving letters of his Irish origins.
Anna is mentioned in a number of William Graham's letters. In 2008 one might call her a girl friend, but his comments about her to his sister convey an ambivalent feeling on both sides. Whatever transpired in their relationship, he eventually married another woman, Mary Platt.
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| Blockhouse at Union camp guarding the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad |
Commentary
Rural New Yorker, a farm paper founded in 1850 as Moore's Rural New Yorker, dedicated "to home interests of both country and town residents."
Interesting the importance placed on the photo, the picture of loved person as a representation of that loved one. Photography was then a new technology and had a fascination and significance which has diminished today.
The rumors about heading to Kentucky were wrong. William's suspicion in that regard was correct. However, change was indeed afoot. The Atlanta Campaign which would culminate in the fall and burning of that city would begin in a little over a month - on May 7, 1864.
William and the 107th Regiment would again experience the stress, fear and excitement of battle. The boredom and sins of the last six months would be no more. Now a different sort of horror would bathe the land of Georgia.
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