Surrender of the Cumberland Gap

Sequential official correspondence with General John Wesley Frazer

Below are excerpts from the Official Records: O.R., i, 30, ii, 602, O.R., i, 30, iv, 571, O.R., i, 30, iv, p. 572, O.R., i, 30, ii, p. 617, O.R., i, 30, ii, p. 624, O.R., i, 30, ii, pp. 629-639, and O.R., i, 30, ii, pp. 607-615. Also, for its entirety, see General John Frazer's comments regarding why he surrendered the Cumberland Gap, and Lt. Colonel B. G. McDowell's official report for the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies in O.R., i, 30, ii, pp. 607-639

KNOXVILLE AUGUST 21, 1863 (RECEIVED 22^ND)

…. My orders to General Frazer are to defend Cumberland Gap to last.

S. B. BUCKNER

Major-General

KNOXVILLE, AUGUST 21, 1863

The 65^th Georgia is ordered to reinforce you from Jacksborough [Jacksboro] with the artillery now at Big Creek Gap. You [General Frazer] are expected to hold your position to the last.

V. SHELIHA

Chief of Staff

LOUDON [TN], AUGUST 30, 1863—p. m.

General Frazer received message and will carry out your order…

General MacKall

Chief of Staff; Chattanooga

Loudon [TN], August 30, 1863

Brigadier-General Frazer

Cumberland Gap:

You overrate [General] Burnside’s forces…

V. SHELIHA

Chief of Staff

Loudon [TN], August 30, 1863

General J. W. Frazer

Commanding Cumberland Gap:

Hold the Gap according to my first instructions a week ago…

S. B. BUCKNER

Major-General

Loudon [TN], August 30, 1863

Brigadier-General Frazer

Cumberland Gap:

Evacuate your position at once….notifying Major-General Jones of the move. Destroy all stores for which you cannot find transportation.

V. SHELIHA

Chief of Staff

General Frazer:

Evacuate all your forces as speedily as possible…retire [retreat] to Abington [Abingdon, Virginia, Cumberland area] Report your movements by courier and telegraph to General Jones.

S. B. BUCKNER

Major-General

(Duplicate of above sent to General A. E. Jackson, Jonesborough, Tenn.)

Maj. Gen. S. Jones CHATTANOOGA, TENN.

Dublin, Va.: September 6, 1863

Send an order to General Frazer, at Cumberland Gap, to evacuate the gap…

S. B. BUCKNER

Major-General

Brig. Gen. John S. Williams, Abington [VA], September 11, 1863

Commanding, &., Jonesborough:

GENERAL: Since writing to you this morning I received a dispatch… General Frazer and Cumberland Gap capitulated… I hope that the report is not true…

Colonel B. G. McDowell

By 12 o’clock on September 9, 1863, Union officers had already sent four letters to General Frazer "demanding surrender of the Commanding Confederate forces of the Cumberland Gap." General Frazer inquired of General Burnside, “To what is the strength of your army?” General Burnside declared, “I can not tell, surrender.”

Major McDowell insisted, "We want to fight! We waited and waited! Then at 4 p.m. we were informed that we were prisoners of war."

Major B. G. McDowell

Major, later Lieutenant Colonel, McDowell (a native of Macon County, N.C.) and about 600 soldiers refused to surrender; they evaded capture, reformed in Asheville, N.C., and fought until the bitter end of the American Civil War.

General John W. Frazer

According to Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Brigadier General John W. Frazer states the most treacherous and slanderous remarks about the 62^nd North Carolina Regiment: "The discipline and organization were utterly worthless… the greater part of officers were totally unfitted for command…Colonel Love and Major McDowell, I do not think were qualified for command…My opinion is this regiment would have broken or thrown down their arms on the first fire from the enemy…There were numerous desertions…In fact not a week passed without several desertions…We had insufficient arms to fight...I believed we were greatly outnumbered...I was unsure of the enemy's strength...I thought surrender would save lives...General Buckner was no where to be found, I wondered what became of him..."

General John W. Frazer died March 31, 1906, in New York, NY. Perhaps Mr. Frazer is not credible with his contradictory remarks about the surrender of the 62nd North Carolina Regiment. He underscored his initial contradictory account for the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. He had ample time to make a retraction or state that he was under duress when he made the statements. Frazer believed that Union forces numbered 10,000-30,000 under Gen. Ambrose Burnside. Burnside had sent at least four letters to General Frazer demanding surrender. Burnside insisted, “We expect your [Frazer] unconditional surrender” (O.R., i, 30, ii, p. 638 and O.R., i, 30, ii, p. 624).

General Frazer, moreover, had been ordered to retreat to a very advantageous position, the high ground; however, he surrendered without a shot (O.R., i, 30, ii, p. 602).