The Civil War Centennial Handbook Part 1

The Civil War Centennial Handbook.

by William H. Price.

THE CIVIL WAR

_Here brothers fought for their principles Here heroes died to save their country And a united people will forever cherish the precious legacy of their n.o.ble manhood._

--_PENNSYLVANIA MONUMENT AT VICKSBURG_

The Civil War, which began in the 1830's as a cold war and moved toward the inevitable conflict somewhere between 1850 and 1860, was one of America's greatest emotional experiences. When the war finally broke in 1861, beliefs and political ideals had become so firm that they transcended family ties and bonds of friendship--brother was cast against brother. The story of this supreme test of our Nation, though one of tragedy, is also one of triumph, for it united a nation that had been divided for over a quarter century.

Holding a place in history midway between the Revolutionary War of the 18th century and the First World War of the 20th, the American Civil War had far-reaching effects: by the many innovations and developments it stimulated, it became the forerunner of modern warfare; by the demands it made on technology and production, it hastened the industrial revolution in America. This conflict also provided the ferment from which great personalities arise. Qualities of true greatness were revealed in men like William Tec.u.mseh Sherman, the most brilliant strategist of modern times; Nathan Bedford Forrest, one of the greatest of natural born leaders; Robert E. Lee, "one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation"; and Abraham Lincoln, who, like the other great men of that era, would be minor characters in our history had they not been called upon in this time of crisis. And emerging from such trying times were seven future Presidents of the United States, all officers of the Union Army.

But the story of this sectional struggle is not only one of great leaders and events. It is the story of 18,000 men in Gen. Sedgwick's Corps who formed a marching column that stretched over ten miles of road, and in that hot month of July 1863, the story of how they marched steadily for eighteen hours, stopping only once to rest, until they reached Gettysburg where the crucial battle was raging. It is the story of more than two hundred young VMI Cadets, who without hesitation left their cla.s.srooms to fight alongside hardened veterans at the battle of New Market in 1864. Or it is the story of two brothers who followed different flags and then met under such tragic circ.u.mstances on the field of battle at Petersburg.

It is also a story of the human toil and machinery that produced more than four million small arms for the Union Army and stamped from copper over one billion percussion caps for these weapons during the four years of war. Inside the Confederacy, it is the story of experiments with new weapons--the submarine, iron-clad rams, torpedoes, and landmines--in an attempt to overcome the North's numerical superiority.

It is the purpose of _The Civil War Centennial Handbook_ to present this unusual story of the Civil War, a mosaic composed of fragments from the lesser-known and yet colorful facts that have survived a century but have been obscured by the voluminous battle narratives and campaign studies.

Much of this material, when originally drafted, was selected by the National Civil War Centennial Commission for their informative and interesting _Facts About the Civil War_. This original material, revised and enlarged, has grown into _The Civil War Centennial Handbook_.

The handbook is divided into five basic parts. The first is a presentation of little-known and unusual facts about partic.i.p.ants, battles and losses, and the cost of war. The second is a graphic portrayal of both the men and machines that made the war of the 1860's.

The special selection of photographs for this portion of the story were made available through the courtesy of the National Archives and the Library of Congress. Next are reproductions in color of Union and Confederate uniforms from the _Official Records Atlas_ and the famous paintings by H. A. Ogden. The fourth section is a reference table of battles and losses listed in chronological order, accompanied by a map showing the major engagements of the war. And primarily for the growing number of new Civil War buffs, there is a roster of Civil War Round Tables, as well as a recommended list of outstanding books on the Civil War.

The material presented in The _Civil War Centennial Handbook_ has been selected from standard sources, the most outstanding of which are: the _Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies and Navies_, Moore's _Rebellion Record_, Cullum's _Biographical Register of West Point Graduates_, Phisterer's _Statistical Record_, Livermore's _Numbers and Losses in the Civil War_, Fox's _Regimental Losses_, the _Dictionary of American Biography_, Dyer's _Compendium of the War of the Rebellion_, the _Annual Reports of the Secretary of War_, and last but far from least, one of the richest sources of information available, my fellow members of the District of Columbia Civil War Round Table.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

THE FIRST MODERN WAR

_In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery all the slaughter of plague, pestilence and famine.

--_GEORGE BERNARD SHAW_

The arts of tactics and strategy were revolutionized by the many developments introduced during the 1860's. Thus the Civil War ushered in a new era in warfare with the ...

FIRST practical machine gun.

FIRST repeating rifle used in combat.

FIRST use of the railroads as a major means of transporting troops and supplies.

FIRST mobile siege artillery mounted on rail cars.

FIRST extensive use of trenches and field fortifications.

FIRST large-scale use of land mines, known as "subterranean sh.e.l.ls".

FIRST naval mines or "torpedoes".

FIRST ironclad ships engaged in combat.

FIRST multi-manned submarine.

FIRST organized and systematic care of the wounded on the battlefield.

FIRST widespread use of rails for hospital trains.

FIRST organized military signal service.

FIRST visual signaling by flag and torch during combat.

FIRST use of portable telegraph units on the battlefield.

FIRST military reconnaissance from a manned balloon.

FIRST draft in the United States.

FIRST organized use of Negro troops in combat.

FIRST voting in the field for a national election by servicemen.

FIRST income tax--levied to finance the war.

FIRST photograph taken in combat.

FIRST Medal of Honor awarded an American soldier.

BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER

"_And why should we not accord them equal honor, for they were both Americans, imbued with those qualities which have made this country great._"

_--BELL IRVIN WILEY_

PRESIDENT LINCOLN, the Commander-In-Chief of the Union Army, had four brothers-in-law in the Confederate Army, and three of his sisters-in-law were married to Confederate officers.

JEFFERSON DAVIS, Commander-in-Chief of the Confederate Army, served the U.S. Army as a colonel during the Mexican War and held the post of Secretary of War in President Pierce's cabinet. Previously, as a senior United States Senator, he had been Chairman of the Senate Military Affairs Committee. Lincoln and Davis were born in Kentucky, the only state that has ever had two of its sons serve as President at the same time.

JOHN TYLER, 10th President of the United States, was elected to the Confederate States Congress in 1862, but died before it convened. On March 4, 1861, Tyler's granddaughter unfurled the first flag of the Confederacy when it was raised over the Confederate Capitol at Montgomery, Alabama.

The Battle of Lynchburg, Virginia, in June 1864 brought together two future Presidents of the United States--General RUTHERFORD B. HAYES and Major WILLIAM McKINLEY, U.S.A.--and a former Vice-President--General JOHN C. BRECKINRIDGE, C.S.A. Five other Union generals later rose to the Presidency: ANDREW JOHNSON, U.S. GRANT, JAMES A. GARFIELD, CHESTER A.

ARTHUR, and BENJAMIN HARRISON.

The four Secretaries of War during the eleven years prior to the Civil War were all from the South. All four later held office in the Confederate government.

Fourteen of the 26 Confederate Senators had previously served in the United States Congress. In the Confederate House of Representatives, 33 members were former U.S. Congressmen.

Confederate Generals ROBERT E. LEE and P.G.T. BEAUREGARD both ranked second in their graduating cla.s.ses at West Point, and both officers later returned to hold the position of Superintendent of the Academy.

Lee's appointment to the rank of full colonel in the United States Army was signed by President Lincoln.

In 1859 WILLIAM TEc.u.mSEH SHERMAN was appointed the first president of what is today the Louisiana State University. Although his chief claim to fame was the destructive "March to the Sea", a portrait of the Union general occupies a prominent place in the Memorial Tower of this Southern university.

Over one-fourth of the West Point graduates who fought during the Civil War were in the Confederate Army. Half of the 304 who served in Gray were on active duty in the United States Army when war broke out. Of the total number of West Pointers who went South, 148 were promoted to the rank of general officer. In all, 313 of the 1,098 officers in the United States Army joined the Confederacy.

One fourth of the officers in the United States Navy resigned to cast their lot with the Confederate Navy. Of the 322 who resigned, 243 were line officers.

When J.E.B. STUART raided Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in 1862, he was pursued by Federal cavalry under the command of his father-in-law, Brig.

Gen. PHILIP ST. GEORGE COOKE, whose name is frequently confused with that of Confederate General PHILIP ST. GEORGE c.o.c.kE, both West Pointers.

As if that weren't bad enough, there was a Union general by the name of JEFFERSON DAVIS.