December 19, 1863
---Gen.
Longstreet, in East Tennessee, finds that his troops are nearly out of rations
and other supplies. Although he wants to
drive on to Knoxville again, he also realizes that the Yankees he beat at
Bean’s Station are backed up the entire IX Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. John
Foster (having replaced Burnside).
Longstreet’s men are in condition to mount an offensive against a
superior force while lacking tents, shoes, and basic equipment. His aide, Maj. Moxley Sorrel, says, “It is
distressing in the extreme that we should lose so great an opportunity to lift
up our poor country, merely for the lack of shoes and clothing for our men.” Longstreet
is miffed over the failure of his men to destroy Shackelford’s troopers at
Bean’s Station, and so he relieves from division command his long-time
subordinate Lafayette McLaws, who is told to go to Georgia to await further
orders. Longstreet also asks for a
court-martial for Brig. Gen. Jerome
Robertson, the commander of the Texas Brigade, as well as Evander Law,
commander of another brigade.
The
Federals, however, in the same area are also in trouble, lacking basic supplies
of most kinds. Union soldiers take to
raiding the homes of loyal Tennesseans and pilfering food. Foster telegraphs Grant for more supplies.
No comments:
Post a Comment