Difference between revisions of "Braxton Bragg"
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| died =September 27, 1876 | | died =September 27, 1876 | ||
| deathplace =Galveston, Texas | | deathplace =Galveston, Texas | ||
| − | | battles =[[Battle of Shiloh|Shiloh]]<br/>[[Battle of | + | | battles =[[Battle of Shiloh|Shiloh]]<br/>[[Battle of Perryville|Perryville]]<br/>[[Battle of Stones River|Stones River]]<br/>[[Battle of Chickamauga|Chickamauga]]<br/>[[Battle of Chattanooga|Chattanooga]] |
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'''Braxton Bragg''' (born March 22, 1817, died September 27, 1876) was a [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[general]] during the [[American Civil War]]. | '''Braxton Bragg''' (born March 22, 1817, died September 27, 1876) was a [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[general]] during the [[American Civil War]]. | ||
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Bragg was a colonel in the Louisiana militia at the outbreak of the civil war. In February 1961, he was promoted to major general and became the highest-ranking officer in the state forces. By early march, he was commissioned a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army instead. Bragg was sent to Pensacola, Florida, and became commander of the District of West Florida. He was promoted to major general on September 12, 1861, and his command was upgraded to include Alabama. He spent most of his time drilling his troops, making them some of the best-trained in the Confederacy. | Bragg was a colonel in the Louisiana militia at the outbreak of the civil war. In February 1961, he was promoted to major general and became the highest-ranking officer in the state forces. By early march, he was commissioned a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army instead. Bragg was sent to Pensacola, Florida, and became commander of the District of West Florida. He was promoted to major general on September 12, 1861, and his command was upgraded to include Alabama. He spent most of his time drilling his troops, making them some of the best-trained in the Confederacy. | ||
| − | When [[Albert S. Johnston]] prepared to repel the Union incursions on the [[Tennessee River]] in early 1862, Bragg and two divisions of his troops were ordered to Corinth, [[Mississippi]] as reinforcements, where Bragg was engaged in instilling some discipline into the forces already assembled. He took part in the [[Battle of Shiloh]] on April 6-7, 1962, commanding the first wave of Confederate troops. When Johnston died at Shiloh and [[P. G. T. Beauregard]], the second-in-command, took a leave of absence for medical reasons a few weeks later, Bragg was promoted to full general and placed in command of the army in June 1862, which | + | When [[Albert S. Johnston]] prepared to repel the Union incursions on the [[Tennessee River]] in early 1862, Bragg and two divisions of his troops were ordered to Corinth, [[Mississippi]] as reinforcements, where Bragg was engaged in instilling some discipline into the forces already assembled. He took part in the [[Battle of Shiloh]] on April 6-7, 1962, commanding the first wave of Confederate troops. When Johnston died at Shiloh and [[P. G. T. Beauregard]], the second-in-command, took a leave of absence for medical reasons a few weeks later, Bragg was promoted to full general and placed in command of the army in June 1862, which would become famous as the Army of Tennessee. |
===Kentucky Campaign=== | ===Kentucky Campaign=== | ||
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Bragg decided to invade Kentucky with his army for several reasons. On the one hand, he hoped to recruit thousands of Kentuckians. For this purpose, his army would carry along an arsenal of spare muskets. On the other hand, he might catch his Union opponent Don Carlos Buell, commander of the Department of the Ohio, south of the Ohio river, cut his lines of supply, and force a battle under favourable circumstances. | Bragg decided to invade Kentucky with his army for several reasons. On the one hand, he hoped to recruit thousands of Kentuckians. For this purpose, his army would carry along an arsenal of spare muskets. On the other hand, he might catch his Union opponent Don Carlos Buell, commander of the Department of the Ohio, south of the Ohio river, cut his lines of supply, and force a battle under favourable circumstances. | ||
| − | In preparation, Bragg moved his army from Tupelo, Mississippi to Chattanooga, [[Tennessee]], transporting his infantry by rail. He left behind two detachments under Sterling Price and Earl Van Dorn tasked with opposing Union efforts in east Mississippi, but without unified command. For his Kentucky campaign, he secured the cooperation of Kirby Smith, who would lead a second column of Confederate troops from Knoxville through Cumberland Gap, one of the few passes through the Cumberland Mountains. | + | In preparation, Bragg moved his army from Tupelo, Mississippi to Chattanooga, [[Tennessee]], transporting his infantry by rail. He left behind two detachments under Sterling Price and Earl Van Dorn tasked with opposing Union efforts in east Mississippi, but without unified command. For his Kentucky campaign, he secured the cooperation of Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Department of East Tennessee, who would lead a second column of Confederate troops from Knoxville through Cumberland Gap, one of the few passes through the Cumberland Mountains. |
President Davis had urged Bragg and Smith to cooperate, and Bragg ranked Smith, but there was no unified command structure; Smith would report directly to Davis and would only fall under Bragg's command when Bragg's and Smith's forces combined. | President Davis had urged Bragg and Smith to cooperate, and Bragg ranked Smith, but there was no unified command structure; Smith would report directly to Davis and would only fall under Bragg's command when Bragg's and Smith's forces combined. | ||
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Bragg had been deceived by a Union detachment which he took for Buell's main effort. He therefore ordered Polk to attack what Bragg assumed to be a small Union force at Perryville and then hurry to Frankfort to unite Bragg's army with Smith's for a combined effort against Buell. On October 8, Polk failed to attack until Bragg himself arrived, took command and started the Battle of Perryville. Bragg misjudged the Union position and was unaware of the location of several nearby Union corps, but Union passivity allowed Bragg to concentrate his entire army against a single corps, resulting in a tactical victory. | Bragg had been deceived by a Union detachment which he took for Buell's main effort. He therefore ordered Polk to attack what Bragg assumed to be a small Union force at Perryville and then hurry to Frankfort to unite Bragg's army with Smith's for a combined effort against Buell. On October 8, Polk failed to attack until Bragg himself arrived, took command and started the Battle of Perryville. Bragg misjudged the Union position and was unaware of the location of several nearby Union corps, but Union passivity allowed Bragg to concentrate his entire army against a single corps, resulting in a tactical victory. | ||
| − | Smith urged Bragg to renew the fight with their combined armies. But by then Bragg's hope for Kentucky recruits had proved idle, his supply situation became worse, and he had received reports of the defeats of his detachments under Price and Van Dorn at Corinth and of the failure of [[Robert E. Lee]]'s [[Maryland]] campaign at Antietam. Therefore Bragg believed that an isolated victory would provide few benefits, while a defeat or even too long a stay in Kentucky might endanger his entire army. Thus, he retreated towards Knoxville. | + | Smith urged Bragg to renew the fight with their combined armies. But by then Bragg's hope for Kentucky recruits had proved idle, his supply situation became worse, and he had received reports of the defeats of his detachments under Price and Van Dorn at Corinth and of the failure of [[Robert E. Lee]]'s [[Maryland]] campaign at [[Battle of Antietam|Antietam]]. Therefore Bragg believed that an isolated victory would provide few benefits, while a defeat or even too long a stay in Kentucky might endanger his entire army. Thus, he retreated towards Knoxville. |
| − | This retread sapped Confederate morale and led to dissension among Bragg's subordinates, many of whom (especially those from Kentucky, but also Polk and Hardee) blamed Bragg for the campaign's failure. | + | This retread sapped Confederate morale and led to dissension among Bragg's subordinates, many of whom (especially those from Kentucky, but also Polk and Hardee) blamed Bragg for the campaign's failure. Bragg was recalled to the Confederate capital of Richmond, [[Virginia]], where he explained his conduct and was retained in command. |
===Middle Tennessee=== | ===Middle Tennessee=== | ||
| + | From Knoxville, Bragg moved his army west through Chattanooga to the vicinity of Murfreesboro, Tennesse, and took up a defensive position along Stones River. By Novermber 20, Smith's army permanently became a part of Bragg's command, which was officially renamed the Army of Tennessee. In December, Bragg was ordered by President Davis to detach a division of 7,500 men to Mississippi. Bragg reorganized his army into two corps under Polk and Hardee, while Smith was transferred to the Trans-Mississippi Department. Also under Bragg's command were cavalry units under Joseph Wheeler, John Hunt Morgan and [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]]. Morgan and Forrest were dispatched on strategic raids and did not participate in the upcoming campaign. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Meanwhile, [[Abraham Lincoln]] had tired with Buell's slowness and relieved him for William S. Rosecrans who was tasket with liberating East Tennessee, where pro-Union sentiment was strong. Rosecrans was a perfectionist and, despite increasing pressure from Washington, did not begin his move until December 26, using the delay to train and equip his forces and secure abundant supplies. | ||
| + | |||
| + | By December 30, 1862, Rosecrans' army had arrived at Stones River. Battle was joined on December 31. Bragg managed to strike first, dealing the Union army a heavy blow but not routing it. The following day Wheeler, who operated in Rosecrans' back, observed transports of injured Union soldiers under heavy escorts and reported the movement to Bragg as a retreat by Rosecrans. Thus, Bragg felt the victor and was content to let Rosecrans retreat. In the afternoon of January 2, Bragg ordered a division-sized attack against the Union right flank, separated from the rest of the Union army by Stones River. Union artillery inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers who were driven back by a Union counterattack. | ||
| + | |||
| + | When Rosecrans didn't retret but was reinforced by a brigade, Bragg concluded that Rosecrans would be reinforced even further while he could not expect any help. Therefore, Bragg decided to retreat from Murfreesboro although the battle had been a tactical draw. He took up a new position north of Tullahoma, 30 miles to the south of Murfreesboro. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Bragg's retreat was highly controversial. His subordinates once again campaigned for Bragg's dismissal. But [[Joseph E. Johnston]], the Confederate theater commander, supported Bragg, and Davis could not find a better replacement. Thus, Bragg was kept in command. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Rosecrans again spent lots of time resupplying and training his army. While Washington was anxious to see some move towards a liberation of East Tennessee, Rosecrans stalled, requested more reinforcements and more supplies, and generally brought his army to a near-perfect state of readiness. This preparation would pay off when he began to move on June 23, 1863. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Rosecrans' position at Murfreesboro and Bragg's new position near Tullahoma were separated by a range of hills taht could be crossed by an army only at a few gaps. Bragg had sent out his cavalry under Wheeler and Forrest to keep him informed of the Union movements while his infantry waited south of the gaps, ready to concentrate when the Union route became clear. But Bragg was deceived by a feint on Rosecrans' right while his cavalry screen was scattered by mounted infantry armed with the new Spencer repeating rifles without informing their superiors of Rosecrans' advance. Thus, Rosecrans was able to capture several gaps against weak Confederate resistance. | ||
| + | On June 26, Bragg had caught up with events and ordered Polk to advance to the north of the hills and attack Rosecrans from behind, while Hardee would threaten the Union front. But Polk objected and claimed he could not cover the required distance in time; thus the planned counterattack was canceled. Worse, Hardee, who had lost all confidence in Bragg and considered victory under Bragg's leadership impossible, decided to save the army from defeat by retreating without awaiting Bragg's orders. Bragg was forced to order a general retreat towards Tullahoma on June 27. On July 1 Polk, who had become concerned for the army's communications after a Union raid by mounted infantry, urged Bragg to retreat from the Tullahoma position. Hardee was no encouragement, and so Bragg decided to retreat further south towards Chattanooga. Rosecrans had planned to assault the Confederate fortifications at Tullahoma on July 2; such frontal attacks usually were costly failures, but due to his retreat Bragg missed the opportunity. On July 4, the Confederate army crossed the Tennessee River. | ||
| + | |||
| + | At Tullahoma Rosecrans paused and refitted his army, assembling enough supplies for an extended campaign south of the Tennessee. He resumed teh offensive in August, when he sent his army in several colums across the Cumberland Plateau towards the Tennessee river. | ||
| + | |||
===Presidential advisor=== | ===Presidential advisor=== | ||
==Post-Civil War career== | ==Post-Civil War career== | ||
| Line 47: | Line 64: | ||
==Assessment== | ==Assessment== | ||
| − | Bragg was known to his contemporaries as a strict disciplinarian, but also as an irritable person, with Grant recalling | + | Bragg was known to his contemporaries as a strict disciplinarian, but also as an irritable person, with Grant recalling a pre-Civil War anecdote where Bragg, after quarreling "with every officer in the army", even managed to get into a quarrel with himself. Worse, Bragg was quite outspoken about his negative opinion of others, making him unpopular with his subordinates and contributing to a breakdown of personal relations. His record as a general was decidedly mixed; he routinely failed to exploit the victories he won, tended to retreat after a draw, and at Chattanooga he suffered a major defeat. On the other hand, his strategic plans mostly were adequate or even inspired, but the execution was often handicapped by Bragg's subordinates, and unlike [[Robert E. Lee]], Bragg would not be allowed a free hand at choosing them. |
==References== | ==References== | ||
*Woodworth, Steven E., ''Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns'', University of Nebraska Press, 1998. Takes a rather positive view of Bragg's performance. | *Woodworth, Steven E., ''Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns'', University of Nebraska Press, 1998. Takes a rather positive view of Bragg's performance. | ||
[[Category:American Civil War Commanders]] | [[Category:American Civil War Commanders]] | ||
Revision as of 21:20, December 4, 2009
| Braxton Bragg | |
|---|---|
| |
American Civil War
| |
| Rank | General, CSA |
| Born | March 22, 1817 |
| Place of birth | Warrenton, North Carolina |
| Died | September 27, 1876 |
| Place of death | Galveston, Texas |
| Battles engaged in | Shiloh Perryville Stones River Chickamauga Chattanooga |
Braxton Bragg (born March 22, 1817, died September 27, 1876) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War.
Military education and service
Braxton Bragg was born in Warrenton, North Carolina. He joined West Point, graduating fifth in a class of 50 in 1837. Bragg was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Army, serving in the 3rd Artillery. In the Second Seminole War, his unit was deployed to Florida as infantry, with Bragg commanding the army post at St. Augustine. Bragg served with distinction in the Mexican War, gaining a promotion to captain and brevet promotions to lieutenant colonel. His effort at the battle of Buena Vista saved Jefferson Davis' regiment, earnig Bragg Davis' friendship.
Bragg resigned from the Army in 1856 and became a planter in Louisiana.
Civil War
Pensacola to Shiloh
Bragg was a colonel in the Louisiana militia at the outbreak of the civil war. In February 1961, he was promoted to major general and became the highest-ranking officer in the state forces. By early march, he was commissioned a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army instead. Bragg was sent to Pensacola, Florida, and became commander of the District of West Florida. He was promoted to major general on September 12, 1861, and his command was upgraded to include Alabama. He spent most of his time drilling his troops, making them some of the best-trained in the Confederacy.
When Albert S. Johnston prepared to repel the Union incursions on the Tennessee River in early 1862, Bragg and two divisions of his troops were ordered to Corinth, Mississippi as reinforcements, where Bragg was engaged in instilling some discipline into the forces already assembled. He took part in the Battle of Shiloh on April 6-7, 1962, commanding the first wave of Confederate troops. When Johnston died at Shiloh and P. G. T. Beauregard, the second-in-command, took a leave of absence for medical reasons a few weeks later, Bragg was promoted to full general and placed in command of the army in June 1862, which would become famous as the Army of Tennessee.
Kentucky Campaign
Kentucky had been a border state with strong pro-Confederate sentiments. At the outbreak of hostilities it had tried to remain neutral, but the neutrality had been violated by Confederate general Leonidas Polk's occupation of Columbus, quickly followed by Ulysses S. Grant's Union occupation of Paducah. Kentucky's pro-Union legislature had used Polk's actions as a pretext to end neutrality and declare allegiance to the Union. Yet when Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan returned from Kentucky after a July 1962 raid, he reported pro-Confederate enthusiasm.
Bragg decided to invade Kentucky with his army for several reasons. On the one hand, he hoped to recruit thousands of Kentuckians. For this purpose, his army would carry along an arsenal of spare muskets. On the other hand, he might catch his Union opponent Don Carlos Buell, commander of the Department of the Ohio, south of the Ohio river, cut his lines of supply, and force a battle under favourable circumstances.
In preparation, Bragg moved his army from Tupelo, Mississippi to Chattanooga, Tennessee, transporting his infantry by rail. He left behind two detachments under Sterling Price and Earl Van Dorn tasked with opposing Union efforts in east Mississippi, but without unified command. For his Kentucky campaign, he secured the cooperation of Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Department of East Tennessee, who would lead a second column of Confederate troops from Knoxville through Cumberland Gap, one of the few passes through the Cumberland Mountains.
President Davis had urged Bragg and Smith to cooperate, and Bragg ranked Smith, but there was no unified command structure; Smith would report directly to Davis and would only fall under Bragg's command when Bragg's and Smith's forces combined.
When Bragg advanced in August 1862 he enjoyed initial success, capturing 4,000 Union soldiers at Mumfordville and cutting Buell's line of supply; yet when Buell's army arrived in the vicinity, Bragg's supply situation turned out to be even worse. Meanwhile Smith had deviated from the plan and, instead of joining Bragg, had advanced deep into central Kentucky. Thus, Bragg moved from Mumfordville towards Smith in central Kentucky, with Buell in pursuit.
By early October Bragg was close to Smith's army and Kentucky's capital of Frankfort, where Richard Harris was to be installed as Confederate governor of Kentucky. The inauguration took place at Frankfort on October 4. Bragg decided to attend and left his own army under the command of Leonidas Polk.
By October 7, the Union forces were close to the Confederate army at Perryville, south of Frankfort. Buell's army outnumbered the Confederates more than two to one but included many green recruits.
Bragg had been deceived by a Union detachment which he took for Buell's main effort. He therefore ordered Polk to attack what Bragg assumed to be a small Union force at Perryville and then hurry to Frankfort to unite Bragg's army with Smith's for a combined effort against Buell. On October 8, Polk failed to attack until Bragg himself arrived, took command and started the Battle of Perryville. Bragg misjudged the Union position and was unaware of the location of several nearby Union corps, but Union passivity allowed Bragg to concentrate his entire army against a single corps, resulting in a tactical victory.
Smith urged Bragg to renew the fight with their combined armies. But by then Bragg's hope for Kentucky recruits had proved idle, his supply situation became worse, and he had received reports of the defeats of his detachments under Price and Van Dorn at Corinth and of the failure of Robert E. Lee's Maryland campaign at Antietam. Therefore Bragg believed that an isolated victory would provide few benefits, while a defeat or even too long a stay in Kentucky might endanger his entire army. Thus, he retreated towards Knoxville.
This retread sapped Confederate morale and led to dissension among Bragg's subordinates, many of whom (especially those from Kentucky, but also Polk and Hardee) blamed Bragg for the campaign's failure. Bragg was recalled to the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, where he explained his conduct and was retained in command.
Middle Tennessee
From Knoxville, Bragg moved his army west through Chattanooga to the vicinity of Murfreesboro, Tennesse, and took up a defensive position along Stones River. By Novermber 20, Smith's army permanently became a part of Bragg's command, which was officially renamed the Army of Tennessee. In December, Bragg was ordered by President Davis to detach a division of 7,500 men to Mississippi. Bragg reorganized his army into two corps under Polk and Hardee, while Smith was transferred to the Trans-Mississippi Department. Also under Bragg's command were cavalry units under Joseph Wheeler, John Hunt Morgan and Nathan Bedford Forrest. Morgan and Forrest were dispatched on strategic raids and did not participate in the upcoming campaign.
Meanwhile, Abraham Lincoln had tired with Buell's slowness and relieved him for William S. Rosecrans who was tasket with liberating East Tennessee, where pro-Union sentiment was strong. Rosecrans was a perfectionist and, despite increasing pressure from Washington, did not begin his move until December 26, using the delay to train and equip his forces and secure abundant supplies.
By December 30, 1862, Rosecrans' army had arrived at Stones River. Battle was joined on December 31. Bragg managed to strike first, dealing the Union army a heavy blow but not routing it. The following day Wheeler, who operated in Rosecrans' back, observed transports of injured Union soldiers under heavy escorts and reported the movement to Bragg as a retreat by Rosecrans. Thus, Bragg felt the victor and was content to let Rosecrans retreat. In the afternoon of January 2, Bragg ordered a division-sized attack against the Union right flank, separated from the rest of the Union army by Stones River. Union artillery inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers who were driven back by a Union counterattack.
When Rosecrans didn't retret but was reinforced by a brigade, Bragg concluded that Rosecrans would be reinforced even further while he could not expect any help. Therefore, Bragg decided to retreat from Murfreesboro although the battle had been a tactical draw. He took up a new position north of Tullahoma, 30 miles to the south of Murfreesboro.
Bragg's retreat was highly controversial. His subordinates once again campaigned for Bragg's dismissal. But Joseph E. Johnston, the Confederate theater commander, supported Bragg, and Davis could not find a better replacement. Thus, Bragg was kept in command.
Rosecrans again spent lots of time resupplying and training his army. While Washington was anxious to see some move towards a liberation of East Tennessee, Rosecrans stalled, requested more reinforcements and more supplies, and generally brought his army to a near-perfect state of readiness. This preparation would pay off when he began to move on June 23, 1863.
Rosecrans' position at Murfreesboro and Bragg's new position near Tullahoma were separated by a range of hills taht could be crossed by an army only at a few gaps. Bragg had sent out his cavalry under Wheeler and Forrest to keep him informed of the Union movements while his infantry waited south of the gaps, ready to concentrate when the Union route became clear. But Bragg was deceived by a feint on Rosecrans' right while his cavalry screen was scattered by mounted infantry armed with the new Spencer repeating rifles without informing their superiors of Rosecrans' advance. Thus, Rosecrans was able to capture several gaps against weak Confederate resistance. On June 26, Bragg had caught up with events and ordered Polk to advance to the north of the hills and attack Rosecrans from behind, while Hardee would threaten the Union front. But Polk objected and claimed he could not cover the required distance in time; thus the planned counterattack was canceled. Worse, Hardee, who had lost all confidence in Bragg and considered victory under Bragg's leadership impossible, decided to save the army from defeat by retreating without awaiting Bragg's orders. Bragg was forced to order a general retreat towards Tullahoma on June 27. On July 1 Polk, who had become concerned for the army's communications after a Union raid by mounted infantry, urged Bragg to retreat from the Tullahoma position. Hardee was no encouragement, and so Bragg decided to retreat further south towards Chattanooga. Rosecrans had planned to assault the Confederate fortifications at Tullahoma on July 2; such frontal attacks usually were costly failures, but due to his retreat Bragg missed the opportunity. On July 4, the Confederate army crossed the Tennessee River.
At Tullahoma Rosecrans paused and refitted his army, assembling enough supplies for an extended campaign south of the Tennessee. He resumed teh offensive in August, when he sent his army in several colums across the Cumberland Plateau towards the Tennessee river.
Presidential advisor
Post-Civil War career
After the war Bragg took several jobs in public engineering: As superintendent of the New Orleans waterworks, as chief engineer for Alabama and as a railroad inspector in Texas. He died in Galveston, Texas, on September 27, 1876.
Assessment
Bragg was known to his contemporaries as a strict disciplinarian, but also as an irritable person, with Grant recalling a pre-Civil War anecdote where Bragg, after quarreling "with every officer in the army", even managed to get into a quarrel with himself. Worse, Bragg was quite outspoken about his negative opinion of others, making him unpopular with his subordinates and contributing to a breakdown of personal relations. His record as a general was decidedly mixed; he routinely failed to exploit the victories he won, tended to retreat after a draw, and at Chattanooga he suffered a major defeat. On the other hand, his strategic plans mostly were adequate or even inspired, but the execution was often handicapped by Bragg's subordinates, and unlike Robert E. Lee, Bragg would not be allowed a free hand at choosing them.
References
- Woodworth, Steven E., Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns, University of Nebraska Press, 1998. Takes a rather positive view of Bragg's performance.