XI and XII Corps, Army of the Potomac - Reinforcements to Chattanooga, October - November 1863

XI and XII Corps, Army of the Potomac

After the Wheeler-Roddey Raid, a Confederate attack on the Union wagon train near Andersons Crossroads in the Sequatchie Valley, October 2, 1863, the War Department recognized the importance of sending reinforcements to Chattanooga.

Communication related to the transfer of the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps, Army of the Potomac, to Bridgeport, as reinforcements in the Chattanooga and Chickamauga Campaigns, is found in Official Records, Series 1, Volume 29, Part 1 (Reports), pages 286 and forward (several pieces of communication); and in Series 1, Volume 30, Part 1 (Reports), pages 33-40 (Report No. 1, General H.W. Halleck).


Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 29, Part 1 (Reports), 286-
http://bit.ly/OfficialRecords-s1-v29-pt1-p286-XI-and-XII-Corps

Various letters to and from the War Department discuss the transportation of these troops to Nashville, Tennessee, their arrival at Bridgeport, Alabama, and the importance and difficulty of transporting their horses and equipment. The 11th Corps was under Oliver O. Howard. The 12th Corps was under Slocum.


Series 1, Volume 30, Part 1 (Reports), pages 33-40
https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152978/m1/47/

Report No. 1, General Henry W. Halleck to E.M. Stanton, Secretary of War; specifically, pages 36-37 mention the detachment of the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps, Army of the Potomac.

Subject: XI and XII Corps - transportation to Bridgeport, Alabama

XI Corps, Army of the Potomac (link to article)

The “German” XI Corps at Gettysburg July 1, 1863
LINK TO ARTICLE
Article by Patrick Young, Esq. (link)

The XI Corps, Army of the Potomac, (a corps comprised mostly of German or "Dutch" immigrants) was under the command of Oliver O. Howard. The men did not like Howard, a prejudiced, preachy Puritan. Also, they blamed him for the loss at Chancellorsburg, Virginia.

Article on LongIslandWins.com

http://www.longislandwins.com/columns/detail/the_german_xi_corps_at_gettysburg_july_1_1863

Also by Patrick Young:
The "Germans Run Away" at Chancellorsville


Related posts (this blog): XI and XII Corps, Army of the Potomac

Troop Reinforcements to Chattanooga, Sept.-Oct. 1863

Source for Reinforcements to the Union Army, under siege at Chattanooga, September-October 1863.

Two Corps (20,000 men) from Army of the Potomac in Virginia, placed under General Hooker's command. [From other source: these troops were mainly from Corps XI, and XII, Army of the Potomac]. Trip of 1,157 miles from Virginia to Bridgeport, Alabama, beginning September
Took about five days, railroad; rails of different gauges, etc.; infantry, artillery, equipment, animals, slower to come.

Another 17,000 troops by water from Sherman in Mississippi.

American Military History (Extract)
http://www.history.army.mil/books/amh/amh-11.htm

Source: American Military History (Extract of), Army Historical Series, Office of the Chief of Military History, United States Army (Chapter 11, "The Civil War, 1863"), 259.
________________________________________


XI and XII Corps, Army of the Potomac, Reinforce Rosecrans at Chattanooga

Fact: Troop reinforcements to Rosecrans, under siege at Chattanooga, included 20,000 troops from Army of the Potomac, consisting mostly of the XI and XII Corps. This was in September 1863.

Source: David G. Moore, William S. Rosecrans and the Union Victory: A Civil War Biography (Google Preview), 132. http://bit.ly/GooglePreview_Rosecrans-Union-Vict-p132.
_____________________________

Echoes of Battle reference
Reference to Eleventh and Twelfth Corps Detachment, Army of the Potomac, at Chattanooga, in Echoes of Battle: The Struggle for Chattanooga (Baumgartner and Strayer, 1996), 231-234. The reinforcement is mentioned in the story of Lt. Col. William G. LeDue, Chief Quartermaster, XI Corps (231-234). In the story, LeDue objects to the fact that "Officers' horses only were to be transported. This was an error of vital importance..." (231). He discusses the poor state of cavalry horses and mules, the difficulty of navigating the mountain road to Bridgeport [Alabama], the building and launching of a "little home-made steamer, the Chattanooga," and the opening of the cracker line (Federal supply line to Bridgeport, Alabama, and Chattanooga, Tennessee).(231-234).

The 11th Corps is also mentioned in the story of Orderly Sergeant William H.H. Tallman, Co. E, 66th Ohio Vol. Infantry (242-244), and there may be other mentions.  This book is not available to read on-line, but may be found at online bookstores. Link to Echoes at Amazon.com ; or maybe one can be found at a library, where I found one.

Bibliographical note:
Baumgartner, Richard A. and Larry M. Strayer. Echoes of Battle: The Struggle for Chattanooga. Huntington: Blue Acorn Press, 1996.


Related post (this blog): Diary of Hassel Hopper, Corps XI,  XI Corps, Army of the Potomac (link to article)

Civil War Diary: Sergeant Hassell Hopper, Co. E, 101st Illinois Volunteer Infantry (Link)

Civil War Diary: Sergeant Hassell Hopper, Company E. 101st Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry.
The 101st Illinois Volunteer Infantry was a regiment of the 11th Corps, Army of the Potomac. The 11th and 12th Corps were sent to reinforce The Army of the Cumberland in 1863.

Link to Diary [This link is an automatic PDF download, 74 pages]
http://www.brainmist.com/civilwar/civilwar.pdf


Background: The 11th Corps, Army of the Potomac, saw action at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. In 1863, the 11th and 12th Corps were transferred west to help reinforce Rosecrans' Army of the Cumberland. Rosecrans assigned the two corps to guard the supply line (Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to Bridgeport, Alabama).

Sources: 

Wikipedia article: "XI Corps (Union Army)"
Link to Article
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XI_Corps_(Union_Army)

William S. Rosecrans and the Union Victory: A Civil War Biography
David G. Moore
Google Preview of Book, targeted page: 132
11th and 12th Corps mentioned on page 132 (transferred to Army of the Cumberland)
Short URL: http://bit.ly/Rosecrans-src-XI-and-XII-Corps-Potomac-reinforcemt