Monday, July 7, 2014

7.7.14 Tennessee Civil War Notes

            
7, Special Orders, No. 20. HDQRS. CENTRAL DIVISION OF THE MISS., Trenton, Tennessee, relative to punishment of bridge burners
Trenton, Tenn., July 7, 1862:
It being proven to the satisfaction of the general commanding that Robert Masley, Samuel Baker, Gilbert Patterson, of Weakley County, Tenn., and Samuel Abbott, Letts and sons, and Doctor Gardner, of Gibson County, Tenn., have aided and abetted the Southern rebellion and encouraged the burning of the road bridge over the Big Ohio;[1] also that J. F. Penn, William M. Jones, A. O. Dunnell, A. Brickhouse, Freeman and Tom Johnson have aided the rebellion by subscriptions of money and in various other ways, it is hereby ordered that the above-named persons take the oath of allegiance to the United States and proceed to immediately rebuild the above-named bridge. And any of the above-named persons failing to obey this order in any particular will be arrested and sent to these headquarters. Capt. John Lynch, Company E, Sixth Illinois Cavalry, is charged with the execution of this order.
By order of Brig. Gen. G. M. Dodge:
OR, Ser. II, Vol. 4, p. 146.
            
7, SPECIAL ORDERS, No. 21, directing the arrest and confinement of any Tennessean refusing to take the oath of allegiance
SPECIAL ORDERS, No. 21. HDQRS. CENTRAL DIVISION OF THE MISS., Trenton, Tenn., July 7, 1862.
The provost-marshal will arrest and hold in confinement any person refusing to take the oath. He will arrest all soldiers and officers returning from the rebel army who do not come forward voluntarily and take the oath. He will ascertain what property if any that can be used by the U. S. forces any persons who are now in the rebel army may own and report the same from time to time to these headquarters.
By order of Brig. Gen. G. M. Dodge
OR, Ser. II, Vol. 4, p. 146.


           
7, Army of Tennessee completes retreat to Chattanooga
HDQRS. ARMY OF TENNESSEE, VIA CHATTANOOGA, July 7, 1863. (Received July 8.)
Since my report from Bridgeport, the whole army has crossed the Tennessee. The pursuit of the enemy was checked and driven back at University Place, on the Cumberland Mountains. Our movement was attended with trifling loss of men and materials.
BRAXTON BRAGG.
OR, Ser. I, Vol. 23, pt. I, p. 584.[2]
           
7, Wheeler and Forrest patrol above and below Kelly's Ford on Tennessee River to prevent desertion
SPECIAL ORDERS, No. 179. HDQRS. ARMY OF TENNESSEE
Chattanooga, July 7, 1863:
I. Maj. Gen. Wheeler will picket the Tennessee River below Kelly's Ford; Brig.-Gen. Forest above that fort. The fords will be strictly watched to prevent desertion [from the Army of Tennessee.]
* * * *
By command of Gen. Bragg
OR, Ser. I, Vol. 23, pt. II, p. 902.


            7, Confederate hostages serve as "railroad guards."
"An Act of Retaliation."
It will be seen by an order from Gen. Washburn, elsewhere in our columns[3], that in view of the recent attacks upon railroad trains running between this city and Saulsbury, by Confederate soldiers and guerrillas, he has been forced to the necessity of taking stringent measures for the suppression of such acts in the future. The order provides for the arrest of forty of the most prominent and bitter 'secesh," residents in and between Memphis and LaGrange, who are to be placed in squads of twenty in the most conspicuous positions on the train running to and from this city each day, so that those giving aid and comfort to rebels may, in case of further attacks, be made to suffer as well as innocent citizens and Federal soldiers. This course will be persisted in until such attacks on the part of the enemy are stopped with the assurance that they will not be resumed. The order states that several citizens of Memphis who have publicly applauded thus murderous business, will be awarded the most prominent and dangerous positions on the cars, and that quarters will be provided for them at White's Station, where they will receive proper care and treatment. No fair minded person will for a moment dispute the justice of this order, which is only calculated to put a stop to a barbarous system of warfare on the defenders of the Union by lawless, unorganized parties of guerrillas infesting the line of railroad from this city; it is a proper retaliation, and will no doubt net prolific of good results to all concerned. It is high time that such steps were adopted. The execution of this order is entrusted to Brig. Gen. Hatch, commanding the cavalry division.
Memphis Bulletin, July 7, 1864.





[1] Most likely the Big Obion.
[2] Not listed in Dyer's Battle Index for Tennessee.
[3] The order referred to was not found in this issue of the Bulletin or any following number for one month's time. However, in an article about the policy in the July 9, 1864 issue of the Bulletin it is indicated that it was General Orders, No. 74.

James B. Jones, Jr.
Public Historian
Tennessee Historical Commission
2941 Lebanon Road
Nashville, TN  37214
(615)-770-1090 ext. 123456
(615)-532-1549  FAX

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