Military Memoirs Of A Confederate: A Critical Narrative

Edward Porter Alexander...

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1: From The U. S.A. Into The C. S.A

The year 1861 found me a second lieutenant of Engineers, U. S. A., on duty with Co. A, Engineer troops, at Fort Steilacoom, Washington Territory. I had entered West Point from Georgia in 1853, and graduated in 1857. For Three years after my graduation I served, generally at the Military Academy, as an assistant instructor, but on Two occasions was absent for Six month at a time upon special details. On the First, with Capt. James C. Duane and 64 men of the Engineer Company, we were sent out to U

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2: The Battle Of Bull Run (July, 1861)

I arrived in Richmond, Saturday Night, June 1, reported for duty Monday Morning, and received my commission as captain of Engineers. Engineer officers were in demand, but President Davis remembered my appearing with Maj. Myer before the Military Committee of the Senate, in connection with the system of signals, and I was First ordered to start in Richmond a little factory of signal apparatus, such as torches, poles, and flags. I was told that I would soon be sent to install the system in some On

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3: Fall And Winter Of 1861

On the day after Bull Run I was appointed Chief of Ordnance of Beauregard's corps, and within a few days Johnston extended my office over the whole army, which, about this period, took the name ever afterwards used,— The Army of Northern Virginia.The enemy, about the same time, adopted their equally well-known title, The Army of the Potomac. My new duties largely absorbed my time, but I remained in charge of the signal service, the work being now confined to sending instructed parties to all par

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4: Yorktown And Williamsburg

In the latter part of March, the Confederate signal lines began to report the movement of a great army down the Potomac, and it was soon discovered that it was being concentrated at Fortress Monroe. On April 5, some Five divisions of Federal infantry, with cavalry and artillery, from that point, approached the Confederate lines across the Peninsula at Yorktown. These were held by Gen. Magruder, whose force at the time was only about 13,000 men. They occupied a line about 12 miles in length— part

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5: Seven Pines Or Fair Oaks

Meanwhile, Norfolk had now been evacuated by our forces, which were withdrawn at First to Petersburg and then to Richmond. Our ironclad, the Virginia (the old Merrimac), drawing too much water to ascend the James, had been blown up. This river was now open to the Federal fleet, except for some hurriedly built batteries at Drury's Bluff, about Six miles below Richmond, covering obstructions made of a row of piles and some sunken schooners. On May 15 the fleet, which included Three ironclads, the

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6: Jackson's Valley Campaign

Before taking up the history of affairs before Richmond in June, 1862, with Lee at the head of the army, it is necessary to review events in the Valley of Virginia. This Valley constituted the only route by which a Confederate army could invade Maryland and threaten Washington City in rear. Cool judgment at the head of affairs, after Washington had once been fortified against an attack by open assault, might have laughed at any idea of real danger from such an invasion. It should have been clear

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7: Seven Days Campaign. The Attack

When Gen. Lee, on June 1, 1862, took command of the Army of Northern Virginia, he brought with him his personal staff,— Col. R. H. Chilton, Adjutant, Col. A. L. Long, Military Secretary, and Majs. Taylor, Venable, Marshall, and Talcotts, as Aides. He retained the chiefs of all departments,— Corley as Quartermaster, Cole as Commissary, Guild as Medical Director, and myself as Ordnance Officer,— and all matters of routine went on as before. The chances of a successful campaign against McClellan ha

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8: Seven Days Campaign. The Pursuit

The day after the battle, Saturday, the 28th, was given to the care of the wounded, the burial of the dead, and the collection of the scattered troops. During the night McClellan had begun his retreat to the James, ordering Keyes, with the 4th corps, to cross White Oak Swamp and take position to cover the passage of his trains, which were put in motion early on the 28th. On the 28th, also, the troops which had fought under Porter on the 27th were sent forward across White Oak Swamp. On the Confe

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9: The Escape. Battle Of Malvern Hill

Next morning (Tuesday, July 1) we began to pay the penalty for our unimproved opportunity of the day before. Of course, the enemy was gone, and about Three miles down the road we came upon his whole army, now united and massed, upon Malvern Hill. This position is a high plateau stretching north from the lowlands along the valley of James River, over which it dominates in high steep hills, with Turkey Run on the west, and Western Run on the east. It is about a mile wide and, for Two miles from th

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10: Cedar Mountain

The close of the Seven Days found both armies greatly in need of rest. Lincoln called upon the governors of the Northern States for 300,000 more men, and bounties, State and Federal, were offered to secure them rapidly. They were easily obtained, but a mistake was made in putting the recruits in the field. They were organized into entirely new regiments, which were generally hurried to the field after but little drilling and training. President Davis also called for conscripts,— all that could b

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11: Second Manassas

Gen. Lee had arrived at Gordonsville early on Aug. 15, and taken command. On the 13th McClellan had abandoned his camp at Harrison's Landing and marched for Fortress Monroe. Lee now left at Richmond but Two brigades of infantry to protect the city against cavalry raids, and took the rest of his army to the vicinity of Gordonsville for an aggressive campaign against Pope. He now occupied interior lines between McClellan and Pope, and it behooved him to crush Pope before McClellan's forces could j

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12: Boonsboro Or South Mountain, And Harper's Ferry

The enemy having taken refuge within lines impregnable to assault, Lee had no alternative but to take the offensive elsewhere. He could not afford to sit down before Washington and await the enemy's pleasure. There were Two openings for offensive operations, each with some chances of success. The safest would have been to withdraw behind the Rappahannock, where he might occupy a strong line with One-half of his forces, under Jackson, while the other half, under himself and Longstreet, was sent b

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13: Sharpsburg Or Antietam

The surrender of Harper's Ferry had come in the very nick of time for the Confederates. Fortunately for them, Franklin at Crampton's Gap, as already told, interpreted the cessation of firing as an indication that there was now no use in his attacking the enemy in his front. For orders were on the way from Lee summoning McLaws to— Withdraw immediately from your position on Maryland Heights and join us here. If you cannot get off any other way, you must cross the mountain. The utmost despatch is r

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14: Fall Of 1862

After the Battle of Sharpsburg, rest, reorganization, and supplies were badly needed by both armies, and, as the initiative was now McClellan's, he determined not to move until he was thoroughly prepared. Lincoln had Two months before drawn up his Emancipation Proclamation and was waiting for a victory to produce a favorable state of feeling for its issuance. Sharpsburg was now claimed as a victory, and, on Sept. 22, the Proclamation was issued, freeing all slaves in any State which should be in

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15: Chancellorsville

Soon after the Battle of Fredericksburg, Lee placed his army in winter quarters. Jackson was extended along the river, below the town, as far as Port Royal, his own headquarters being at a hunting lodge on the lawn of A Mr. Corbin, at Moss Neck, 11 miles below Fredericksburg. Longstreet was encamped from a little above Fredericksburg to Massaponax Creek. Lee established his headquarters in a camp a short distance in rear of Hamilton's Crossing. Most of the artillery was sent back to the North An

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16: Gettysburg: The First Day

A pause of Four weeks after the Battle of Chancellorsville to prepare for an aggressive counter-stroke, was, perhaps, the period of highest tide in Confederate hopes among all the vicissitudes of the war. The campaign which ensued, culminating at Gettysburg, is generally accepted as the turning-point of Confederate fortunes. I think it may be held that each summer campaign in Va. marked a Confederate crisis. That is to say, that defeat in any One of them would have been followed by the collapse

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17: Gettysburg: Second Day

Longstreet, riding ahead of his approaching troops, met Lee upon Seminary Ridge about dawn on July 2. Daylight disclosed the enemy in his position overlooking the town, and it was apparent that he was intrenched and was offering us the privilege of taking the offensive. Lee was far from disposed to decline the offer. Col. Long, of his staff, reports that he advised Lee during the night,— At present only Two or Three corps of the enemy are up, and it seems best to attack before they are greatly s

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18: Gettysburg: Third Day

In his official report Lee writes:— The result of the (Second) day's operations induced the belief that with proper concert of action, and with the increased support that the positions gained on the right would enable the artillery to render the columns, we should ultimately succeed, and it was accordingly determined to continue the attack. The general plan was unchanged. Longstreet, reenforced by Pickett's Three brigades, was to attack the next morning, and Ewell was ordered to assault the enem

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The Battle Of Wauhatchie

Having rested at Culpeper from July 24 to 31, and then crossed the Rapidan to Orange C. H., where we could receive supplies by rail, Lee's army now recuperated rapidly from its exhaustion by the campaign of Gettysburg. There remained nearly Five months of open weather before winter. The prospects of the Confederacy had been sadly altered by our failures at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Grant would now be able to bring against us in Ga. Rosecrans reenforced by the army which had taken Vicksburg. To r

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Spottsylvania

Lee honored our return to his command with a review. It was the only One ever held, after the One in the Shenandoah Valley, in Oct., 1862. He was not given to parades merely for show. Now, doubtless, he felt and reciprocated the stirrings of affection in the hearts of his men, inseparable from our return from bloody Chickamauga, upon the eve of what all felt must be the struggle to a finish, and no One who was present can ever forget the occasion. It took place in a cleared valley with broad pas

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21: The Movement Against Petersburg

It is now time to describe Grant's movement against Petersburg which, I think, more than any battle or other incident, constituted what may be called the Crisis of the War. Possibly the South never had any real chance of success from the First, and the actual crisis was past when she fired the First gun. But, though the North was immensely her superior in all the resources of war, the South was able to win many hard-fought battles, and her armies to cherish the hope, as year after year elapsed,

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22: The Mine

Our First days in the Petersburg trenches were exceedingly busy ones. From June 19 to 24, a daily entry in my note-book was Severe sharpshooting and artillery practice without intermission day or night.Our whole time was spent in improving our lines and getting our batteries protected and with good communications. Never until in this campaign had the enemy used mortar fire in the field, but now Abbot's reserve artillery regiment of 1700 men brought into use 60 mortars ranging from 24-Pr. Coehorn

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23: The Fall Of 1864

Gen. Humphreys writes of the situation in Aug., soon after the fiasco of the Mine, as follows: — Between this time and the month of March, 1865, several movements of the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the James were made to the right and to the left, which resulted in the extension of our line of intrenchments in both directions, and caused a corresponding extension of the Confederate intrenchments on our left, and their occupation in stronger force of their intrenchments on the north bank

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