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Brigadier General Alfred Eugene Jackson and Colonel William Holland
Thomas
(Command Rivalry)
During the Civil War, William Thomas was court-martialed
three times.
Regarding Thomas's court-martials, President Davis wrote that they were "disingenuous and destructive to the Confederate cause."
Thomas's Civil War Strategy was the basis for his court-martials. In the summer of 1863, while assigned
to Brigadier General Alfred Eugene "Old Mudwall" Jackson's command, Colonel Thomas was arrested and awaiting court-martial. Colonel Thomas' Legion had been reorganized into Jackson's Brigade, and Jackson's Brigade consisted of Thomas' Legion only. (O.R., Series 1, Volume 29, pt. II, p. 812, O.R., 31, 1, p. 454, and O.R., Series 1, Vol. 33, p. 1137). Was it a legion or a brigade? This confusing command structure was highly contested, so General Jackson had
Thomas arrested in June of 1863 and charged with "disobedience of orders." Thomas was sent to Knoxville, Tennessee, awaiting
trial, but Union General Ambrose Burnside's East Tennessee invasion intervened and, as a consequence, Thomas' Legion was reassigned
thus defusing the situation.
Another court-martial was to occur on February 23, 1864,
because of the capture of General Robert B. Vance, brother to North Carolina Governor Zebulon Baird Vance. Leaving Colonel Thomas at Gatlinburg, General Vance proceeded to Sevierville
and was captured because he failed to post pickets and not as a result of Colonel Thomas disobeying orders. General Vance
remained in a Federal prison until the war ended and even conceded that his capture was a misunderstanding of orders.
However, regarding the capture of Vance, Colonel John B. Palmer stated that Lt. Col. James L. Henry, and not Thomas, should be
court-martialed. (O.R., Ser. 1, Vol. 32, pt. 1, p. 76). James Seddon, the Confederate Secretary of War, believed Vance was partially
responsible for his own capture. Regarding Vance's capture, Jefferson Davis wrote, "...no action is practicable which
seems proper." (O.R., 32, 1, p. 77). And, on behalf of Thomas, President Jefferson Davis intervened, the charges
were dismissed, and no trial was held.
Furthermore, prior to the war, the Vances were bitter rivals
of Senator Thomas and they even held opposite views on the "ad valorem tax" and senate railroad bills which promoted
their bitter rivalry. According to official records and reports, Thomas was not responsible for Robert Vance's capture. However,
Zebulon believed there was culpability and used his brother's capture as an opportunity to punish his rival. Zebulon
Vance was North Carolina's Governor (1862-1865 and 1876-1878) and also served in the United States Senate (1879-1894).
On May 11, 1864, Colonel Thomas was charged with receiving deserters
from the 65th North Carolina Regiment between September 1863 and April 1864. On this occasion, however, General
Jackson was 'relieved of his command' and sent to the Army of Tennessee. Again, there was no court-martial. In October
of 1864 the trial resumed and Colonel Thomas was found guilty of all charges. This court-martial combined a prior court-martial with
four additional charges. As with prior charges, Colonel Thomas appealed to his dear friend, President Jefferson
Davis. Mr. Davis once more reversed the charges and Colonel Thomas was exonerated.
Jackson's Brigade
Organization of Buckner’s Division, Brig. Gen. Bushrod R. Johnson,
C. S. Army, commanding, April 20, 1864.• Jackson’s Brigade. Brig. Gen. Alfred E. Jackson. Thomas’
regiment,++ Lieut. Col. James R. Love. Walker’s battalion,++ Lieut. Col. James A. Mckamy. Levi’s (Virginia)
battery. Burroughs’ (Tennessee) battery. McClung’s (Tennessee) battery.
Johnson’s Brigade.
Col. John S. Fulton. 17th Tennessee, Col. R. H. Keeble. 23rd Tennessee, Col. R. H. Keeble. 25th Tennessee, Lieut.
Col. John L. McEwen, jr. 44th Tennessee, Lieut. Col. John L. McEwen, jr. 63d Tennessee, Col. Abraham Folkerson. Detachments,
+ Capt. Nathan Dodd.
Gracie’s Brigade Brig. Gen. Archibald Gracie, Jr. 41st Alabama, Col. Martin L. Stansel. 43rd
Alabama, Lieut. Col. John J. Jolly. 59th Alabama, Col. Bolling Hall, jr. 60th Alabama, Maj. Hatch Cook. 23rd Alabama,
Battalion Sharpshooters, Maj. Nicholas Stallworth.
++ Otherwise known as the Thomas (North Carolina) Legion + From
the Sixteenth Georgia Battalion and the Third, Thirty-first, Forty-third, Sixtieth, Sixty-first, and Sixty-second Tennessee
Regiments. • As shown by inspection reports of Lieu. Col. Archer Anderson, assistant adjutant-general. Jackson’s
brigade at Carter’s Depot, the others near Zollicoffer.
Editor's Notes:
There are a few records reflecting "Thomas’ regiment, North
Carolina" and "Thomas’ regiment, North Carolina Volunteers." Notice the Official Records of the Union and Confederate
Armies adds a footnote when it records Thomas’ regiment, North Carolina. The footnotes in the Official Records clarify
the command by recording "otherwise known as the Thomas (North Carolina) Legion." This
evidence reinforces the command rivalry between A. E. Jackson and William H. Thomas. This is recorded in Lt. Colonel William
Stringfield’s writings: “It appears that Jackson broke up the Legion in order to make it a brigade and call it
his Brigade.” Also, the organization demotes the “Legion” by stating “regiment.” When you view
the brigade, it includes Thomas' Legion and Thomas' entire Legion. The regiment,
battalion, and artillery battery are core of the brigade and Thomas' entire Legion. Otherwise, if Brig. Gen. A. E. Jackson
called it a Legion, the Brigade designation would have little merit or value. (See Thomas' Regiment: O.R., Series 1, Volume 33, p. 1137.)
Recommended
Reading: East
Tennessee and the Civil War (Hardcover: 588 pages). Description: A solid social, political,
and military history, this work gives light to the rise of the pro-Union and pro-Confederacy factions. It explores the political
developments and recounts in fine detail the military maneuvering and conflicts that occurred. Beginning with a history of
the state's first settlers, the author lays a strong foundation for understanding the values and beliefs of East Tennesseans. He examines
the rise of abolition and secession, and then advances into the Civil War. Continued below...
Early in the
conflict, Union sympathizers burned a number of railroad bridges, resulting in occupation by Confederate troops and abuses
upon the Unionists and their families. The author also documents in detail the ‘siege and relief’ of Knoxville.
Although authored by a Unionist, the work is objective in nature and fair in its treatment of the South and the Confederate
cause, complete with a comprehensive index, this work should be in every Civil War library.
Highly
Recommended Reading:
Storm in the Mountains: Thomas' Confederate
Legion of Cherokee Indians and Mountaineers (Thomas' Legion: The Sixty-ninth North Carolina Regiment). Description: Vernon H. Crow, Storm in the Mountains, spent 10 years conducting extensive Thomas Legion's research. Crow
was granted access to rare manuscripts, special collections, and privately held diaries which add great depth to this
rarely discussed Civil War legion. He explores and discusses the unit's formation, fighting history, and life of
the legion's commander--Cherokee chief and Confederate colonel--William Holland Thomas. Continued below...
Numerous maps
and photographs allow the reader to better understand and relate to the subjects discussed. It also contains rosters
which is an added bonus for researchers and genealogists. Crow, furthermore, left no stone unturned while examining the
many facets of the Thomas Legion and his research is conveyed on a level that scores with Civil War students and scholars
alike.
NEW! North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster (Volume XVI: Thomas's Legion) (Hardcover, 537 pages),
North Carolina Office of Archives and History (June
26, 2008). Description:
The volume begins with an authoritative 246-page history of Thomas's Legion. The history, including Civil War battles and
campaigns, is followed by a complete roster and service records of the field officers, staff, and troops that served
in the legion. A thorough index completes the volume. Continued below...
Volume XVI
of North Carolina Troops: A Roster contains the history and roster of the most unusual North Carolina Confederate Civil
War unit, significant because of the large number of Cherokee Indians who served in its ranks. Thomas's Legion was the creation
of William Holland Thomas, an influential businessman, state legislator, and Cherokee chief. He initially raised a small
battalion of Cherokees in April 1862, and gradually expanded his command with companies of white soldiers raised in western
North Carolina,
eastern Tennessee, and Virginia.
By the end of 1862, Thomas's Legion comprised an infantry regiment and a battalion of infantry and cavalry. An artillery battery
was added in April 1863. Furthermore, in General Early's Army of the Valley, the Thomas Legion was well-known for its fighting
prowess. It is also known for its pivotal role in the last Civil War battle east of the Mississippi
River. The Thomas Legion mustered more than 2,500 soldiers and it closely resembled a brigade. With troop roster, muster records, and Compiled Military Service Records (CMSR) this volume
is also a must have for anyone interested in genealogy and researching Civil War ancestors. Simply stated, it is an outstanding
source for genealogists.
Recommended
Reading:
Generals in Gray Lives of the Confederate Commander (Hardcover). Description:
When Generals in Gray was published in 1959, scholars and critics immediately hailed it as one of the few indispensable books
on the American Civil War. Historian Stanley Horn, for example, wrote, "It is difficult for a reviewer to restrain his enthusiasm
in recommending a monumental book of this high quality and value." Here at last is the paperback edition of Ezra J. Warner’s
magnum opus with its concise, detailed biographical sketches and—in an amazing feat of research—photographs
of all 425 Confederate generals. Continued below...
The only exhaustive guide to the South’s command,
Generals in Gray belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the Civil War. RATED 5 STARS!
Recommended Reading: Bushwhackers, The Civil War in North Carolina: The
Mountains (338 pages). Description: Trotter's book (which could have been titled "Murder, Mayhem, and Mountain Madness") is an epic backdrop
for the most horrific murdering, plundering and pillaging of the mountain communities of western North Carolina during the
state’s darkest hour—the American Civil War. Commonly referred to as Southern Appalachia, the North
Carolina and East Tennessee mountains witnessed divided loyalties in its bushwhackers
and guerrilla units. These so-called “bushwhackers” even used the conflict to settle old feuds and scores, which,
in some cases, continued well after the war ended. Continued below...
Some bushwhackers were highly organized ‘fighting
guerrilla units’ while others were a motley group of deserters and outliers, and, since most of them were residents
of the region, they were familiar with the terrain and made for a “very formidable foe.” In this work, Trotter
does a great job on covering the many facets of the bushwhackers, including their: battles, skirmishes, raids, activities,
motives, the outcome, and even the aftermath. This book is also a great source for tracing ancestors during the Civil War;
a must have for the family researcher of Southern Appalachia. "[T]he historical events that transpired in the region are brought to life in this
study."
Bibliography:
Official
Records of the Union and Confederate Armies; Walter Clark, Histories of the Several Regiments and Battalions from North Carolina
in the Great War 1861-1865; National Park Service: American Civil War; National Park Service: Soldiers and Sailors System;
Weymouth T. Jordan and Louis H. Manarin, North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865; D. H. Hill, Confederate Military History Of North Carolina: North Carolina In The Civil War, 1861-1865; Vernon H. Crow,
Storm in the Mountains: Thomas' Confederate Legion of Cherokee Indians and Mountaineers; Vernon H. Crow, The Justness of Our
Cause; E. Stanly Godbolt, Jr. and Mattie U. Russell, Confederate Colonel and Cherokee Chief: The Life of William Holland Thomas;
The Civil War Diary of William W. Stringfield, Johnson City, TN: East Tennessee Historical Society Publications; and
John R. Finger, The Eastern Band of Cherokees.
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