I finally managed to winnow through all of the resignations and compare them by regiment. Some of the results were interesting.
Of the 171 officers assigned to the three mounted arms at the beginning of 1861 (1 brigadier general and 34 officers assigned to each regiment), a total of 74 resigned, or 43%. Three of the five regiments lost 50% or more of their officers, and these were the last two regiments to reach the major theaters of fighting.
Despite claims in 1855 (and later) that they were formed to accommodate southern officers, the two cavalry regiments were not the hardest hit by resignations. The most resignations came from the 2nd Dragoons/2nd Cavalry with 19. Interestingly enough, the least number of resignations came from the other dragoon regiment with 9. As I derived these numbers only from 1861, I have to wonder how many 1st Dragoon/1st Cavalry officers wanted a free ride home from the west coast before tendering their resignations. The regiment didn't completely close on Washington DC until the end of January 1862.
The results by regiment:
1st Dragoons/1st Cavalry: 9 of 34
2nd Dragoons/2nd Cavalry: 19 of 34
Regiment of Mounted Rifles/3rd Cavalry: 10 of 34
1st Cavalry/4th Cavalry: 17 of 34
2nd Cavalry/5th Cavalry: 18 of 34
Showing posts with label resignations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resignations. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Officers of the 1st US Cavalry in 1861, Part II
The exodus began near the top of the regiment’s hierarchy in January, as LtCol William J. Hardee resigned his commission on the 31st. This Georgia born officer later became a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army. The effects of his resignation then cascaded through the regiment in a series of promotions. William H. Emory, the senior Major, was promoted to take his place. Captain Delos R. Sackett was promoted to the junior Major position, and 1stLt Robert Ransom, Jr was promoted to Captain and the command of Company F. 2ndLt John A. Thompson was promoted to the vacant position of 1st Lt in Company H.
With each resignation, another slew of promotions followed. 1stLt Philip Stockton resigned on February 27th, his position in Company B assumed by 2ndLt Edward Ingraham of Company I. On March 1st, Captain William D. Saussure of South Carolina resigned. Frank Wheaton was promoted to captain in Company B, and Eli Long to 1stLt of Company E.
Colonel Edwin V. Sumner was appointed a Brigadier General in the Regular Army on March 16 upon the dismissal of BrigGen David Twiggs. LtCol Robert E. Lee was promoted and transferred from the 2nd Cavalry to take command of the regiment, while Major John Sedgwick in turn assumed his position as LtCol of the 2nd Cavalry. Captain Thomas J. Wood of Company C was promoted to major, 1stLt David S. Stanley to captain and George D. Bayard to 1stLt the same day.
This must have been very confusing for the noncommissioned officers and enlisted men of the regiment, as none of those promoted remained in the same company. Only 15 of the 34 officers remained in their same rank and duty position over this three month period.
To add to the confusion, six new second lieutenants were appointed to the regiment from civilian life in February and March. Thomas B. Alexander, of Washington Territory, was assigned to Company F on February 21. The four new lieutenants were assigned to their companies on March 27. George G. Huntt, of the District of Columbia, was assigned to Company I; Napoleon B. McLoughlin, of New York, to Company H; and Thomas H. McCormick and Clarence Mouck, both of Pennsylvania, to Company C and G respectively. John A. Wilcox, also of the District of Columbia, was assigned to Company D on March 28.
On March 18th LtCol Emory was ordered to concentrate the regiment at Fort Washita and establish his headquarters there. Listed below are the 34 officers assigned to the regiment at the end of March, 1861. Outside of personnel moves, life remained relatively quiet for the regiment during this period.
Colonel Robert E. Lee*
Lt Col William H. Emory *
Maj Thomas J. Wood
Maj Delos R. Sackett
Adjutant (1Lt) Albert V. Colburn
Company A
Capt William N.R. Beall*
1st Lt Eugene W. Crittenden
2nd Lt Charles S. Bowman
Company B
Capt Frank Wheaton
1st Lt Edward Ingraham*
2nd Lt Oliver H. Fish*
Company C
Capt David S. Stanley
1st Lt Lunsford L. Lomax*
2nd Lt Thomas H. McCormick
Company D
Capt James McIntosh*
1st Lt George D. Bayard
2nd Lt John A. Wilcox
Company E
Capt Samuel D. Sturgis
1st Lt Eli Long
2nd Lt Andrew Jackson Jr
Company F
Capt Robert Ransom Jr*
1st Lt Elmer Otis
2nd Lt Thomas B. Alexander
Company G
Capt William S. Walker*
1st Lt James E.B. Stuart*
2nd Lt Clarence Mouck
Company H
Capt (Henry B. Davidson?)
1st Lt John A. Thompson
2nd Lt Napoleon B. McLoughlin
Company I
Capt (unknown)
1st Lt James B. McIntyre
2nd Lt George G. Huntt
Company K
Capt George H. Steuart*
1st Lt Richard H. Riddick*
2nd Lt Joseph H. Taylor
With each resignation, another slew of promotions followed. 1stLt Philip Stockton resigned on February 27th, his position in Company B assumed by 2ndLt Edward Ingraham of Company I. On March 1st, Captain William D. Saussure of South Carolina resigned. Frank Wheaton was promoted to captain in Company B, and Eli Long to 1stLt of Company E.
Colonel Edwin V. Sumner was appointed a Brigadier General in the Regular Army on March 16 upon the dismissal of BrigGen David Twiggs. LtCol Robert E. Lee was promoted and transferred from the 2nd Cavalry to take command of the regiment, while Major John Sedgwick in turn assumed his position as LtCol of the 2nd Cavalry. Captain Thomas J. Wood of Company C was promoted to major, 1stLt David S. Stanley to captain and George D. Bayard to 1stLt the same day.
This must have been very confusing for the noncommissioned officers and enlisted men of the regiment, as none of those promoted remained in the same company. Only 15 of the 34 officers remained in their same rank and duty position over this three month period.
To add to the confusion, six new second lieutenants were appointed to the regiment from civilian life in February and March. Thomas B. Alexander, of Washington Territory, was assigned to Company F on February 21. The four new lieutenants were assigned to their companies on March 27. George G. Huntt, of the District of Columbia, was assigned to Company I; Napoleon B. McLoughlin, of New York, to Company H; and Thomas H. McCormick and Clarence Mouck, both of Pennsylvania, to Company C and G respectively. John A. Wilcox, also of the District of Columbia, was assigned to Company D on March 28.
On March 18th LtCol Emory was ordered to concentrate the regiment at Fort Washita and establish his headquarters there. Listed below are the 34 officers assigned to the regiment at the end of March, 1861. Outside of personnel moves, life remained relatively quiet for the regiment during this period.
Colonel Robert E. Lee*
Lt Col William H. Emory *
Maj Thomas J. Wood
Maj Delos R. Sackett
Adjutant (1Lt) Albert V. Colburn
Company A
Capt William N.R. Beall*
1st Lt Eugene W. Crittenden
2nd Lt Charles S. Bowman
Company B
Capt Frank Wheaton
1st Lt Edward Ingraham*
2nd Lt Oliver H. Fish*
Company C
Capt David S. Stanley
1st Lt Lunsford L. Lomax*
2nd Lt Thomas H. McCormick
Company D
Capt James McIntosh*
1st Lt George D. Bayard
2nd Lt John A. Wilcox
Company E
Capt Samuel D. Sturgis
1st Lt Eli Long
2nd Lt Andrew Jackson Jr
Company F
Capt Robert Ransom Jr*
1st Lt Elmer Otis
2nd Lt Thomas B. Alexander
Company G
Capt William S. Walker*
1st Lt James E.B. Stuart*
2nd Lt Clarence Mouck
Company H
Capt (Henry B. Davidson?)
1st Lt John A. Thompson
2nd Lt Napoleon B. McLoughlin
Company I
Capt (unknown)
1st Lt James B. McIntyre
2nd Lt George G. Huntt
Company K
Capt George H. Steuart*
1st Lt Richard H. Riddick*
2nd Lt Joseph H. Taylor
Monday, February 19, 2007
Manning the Regulars, Part II
Officer manning within the Regular regiments started the war below full strength and never recovered. At the beginning of 1861 the Regular Army had only 16,367 of its authorized strength of 18,093 officers and men, and there had been no increase in strength since 1855 (Sawicki, Cavalry Regiments of the U.S. Army, pg 46). These numbers quickly dwindled as southern born (and some northern born) officers resigned their commissions and left the army.
As mentioned previously, four of the five commanders of the mounted regiments resigned. Many are aware that the one who did not, Philip St. George Cooke of the 2nd Dragoons, was a Virginian. The other officer ranks fared little better. Of the officers assigned to the 2nd Dragoons on January 1, 1861, 1 of 2 majors resigned, 6 of 12 captains resigned and 2 more retired. Seven of the twelve first lieutenants resigned or deserted. One of these, Francis N.C. Armstrong, resigned after leading his Company K for the Union during the first battle of Bull Run (Rodenbough, From Everglade to Canyon, pg 462). Those who remained were promoted and distributed among all five regiments.
Unlike the seemingly limitless number of volunteer regiments organized during the war, there were a finite number of Regular regiments, and officer billets within them. Total numbers included six colonels, six lieutenant colonels, eighteen majors, and 72 captains. Officers were commissioned and assigned against a specific billet in a specific regiment. These were the only billets authorized by Congress, and there were not any spares. Assignments outside the regiments for such things as instructors at the Cavalry School at Carlisle Barracks or aides de camp to general officers were taken out of hide from the regiments. If you were the regimental commander and one of your captains was teaching at West Point, for example, you did without a captain and a first lieutenant commanded one of your companies. Once assigned to a regiment as a second lieutenant, one remained a second lieutenant until a billet was vacated by one of the first lieutenants, via promotion, resignation, or death. It was possible, however, to be promoted to another regiment.
Even promotions worked against the strength of the Regulars, due to the promotion system of the Regular Army. During the course of the war, it was not uncommon for regular officers to take leaves of absence to lead volunteer units. These officers did not resign, and continued to count against the assigned strength of the regiment. Alfred Pleasonton, for example, occupied a major’s billet in the 2nd for the entire Civil War, even while commanding the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac. At the end of the war, Wesley Merritt was likewise still assigned to the regiment, one of five major generals of volunteers on the rolls (Rodenbough, 371).
Senior officers within the regiments were rarely present with them. Thomas J. Wood, who succeeded Cooke in command of the 2nd when he was promoted to Brigadier General in November 1861, was commanding a brigade and then a division in the Tennessee and Mississippi campaigns. He remained in the western theater throughout the war, and never served with the regiment that he nominally commanded (Rodenbough, pg 438). This is one of the reasons that captains are usually noted as leading Regular regiments in reports in the Official Records and elsewhere. Indeed, this problem did not go away after the war. Regimental returns from November 1, 1866 show seven generals of volunteers assigned to the 2nd Cavalry, with a captain actually present commanding the unit and lieutenants commanding seven of the twelve companies (Rodenbough, pg 371).
New officers did join the regiments as the war progressed. Eleven new lieutenants joined the 2nd in 1861, four of them newly commissioned West Point graduates. Never, however, were they at a full complement of officers. The only possible exception to this might be the 6th US Cavalry, since it formed in the summer of 1861. Given the very active service of this regiment throughout the war, however, it is doubtful that they stayed at strength for long.
As mentioned previously, four of the five commanders of the mounted regiments resigned. Many are aware that the one who did not, Philip St. George Cooke of the 2nd Dragoons, was a Virginian. The other officer ranks fared little better. Of the officers assigned to the 2nd Dragoons on January 1, 1861, 1 of 2 majors resigned, 6 of 12 captains resigned and 2 more retired. Seven of the twelve first lieutenants resigned or deserted. One of these, Francis N.C. Armstrong, resigned after leading his Company K for the Union during the first battle of Bull Run (Rodenbough, From Everglade to Canyon, pg 462). Those who remained were promoted and distributed among all five regiments.
Unlike the seemingly limitless number of volunteer regiments organized during the war, there were a finite number of Regular regiments, and officer billets within them. Total numbers included six colonels, six lieutenant colonels, eighteen majors, and 72 captains. Officers were commissioned and assigned against a specific billet in a specific regiment. These were the only billets authorized by Congress, and there were not any spares. Assignments outside the regiments for such things as instructors at the Cavalry School at Carlisle Barracks or aides de camp to general officers were taken out of hide from the regiments. If you were the regimental commander and one of your captains was teaching at West Point, for example, you did without a captain and a first lieutenant commanded one of your companies. Once assigned to a regiment as a second lieutenant, one remained a second lieutenant until a billet was vacated by one of the first lieutenants, via promotion, resignation, or death. It was possible, however, to be promoted to another regiment.
Even promotions worked against the strength of the Regulars, due to the promotion system of the Regular Army. During the course of the war, it was not uncommon for regular officers to take leaves of absence to lead volunteer units. These officers did not resign, and continued to count against the assigned strength of the regiment. Alfred Pleasonton, for example, occupied a major’s billet in the 2nd for the entire Civil War, even while commanding the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac. At the end of the war, Wesley Merritt was likewise still assigned to the regiment, one of five major generals of volunteers on the rolls (Rodenbough, 371).
Senior officers within the regiments were rarely present with them. Thomas J. Wood, who succeeded Cooke in command of the 2nd when he was promoted to Brigadier General in November 1861, was commanding a brigade and then a division in the Tennessee and Mississippi campaigns. He remained in the western theater throughout the war, and never served with the regiment that he nominally commanded (Rodenbough, pg 438). This is one of the reasons that captains are usually noted as leading Regular regiments in reports in the Official Records and elsewhere. Indeed, this problem did not go away after the war. Regimental returns from November 1, 1866 show seven generals of volunteers assigned to the 2nd Cavalry, with a captain actually present commanding the unit and lieutenants commanding seven of the twelve companies (Rodenbough, pg 371).
New officers did join the regiments as the war progressed. Eleven new lieutenants joined the 2nd in 1861, four of them newly commissioned West Point graduates. Never, however, were they at a full complement of officers. The only possible exception to this might be the 6th US Cavalry, since it formed in the summer of 1861. Given the very active service of this regiment throughout the war, however, it is doubtful that they stayed at strength for long.
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