Of Duty Well and Faithfully Done: A History of the Regular Army in the Civil War

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations . . ix Foreword . . xi Preface . . xiii Acknowledgments . . xvii The Regular Army on the Eve of the Civil War . . 1 The Role of the Regular Army in American Society . . 1 The U.S. Army before April 12, 1861 . . 3 The Staff Departments, April 1861 . . 6 The Line of the Army, April 1861 . . 8 Stationing of the Army, January 1861 . . 8 Conclusion . . 13 Regular Army Leaders and Personnel 1. Headquarters of the Army . . 17 Commander in Chief . . 17 Secretary of War . . 19 General in Chief . . 24 Formulation of Strategy . . 30 Direction of Operations . . 34 Civilian Personnel of the War Department . . 35 The Army Budget, 1861–1865 . . 36 Conclusion . . 37 2. Regular Army Personnel, 1861–1865 . . 39 Decision to Keep the Regular Army Intact . . 39 Expansion of the Regular Army, 1861–1865 . . 40 Temporary Regulars . . 43 Enlisted Personnel . . 44 Officers . . 48 Losses of Personnel . . 58 Conclusion . . 62 The Staff Departments 3. Overview . . 67 Evolution of the Staff Departments to 1861 . . 67 Expansion of the Staff Departments . . 69 Staff Officers in the Field . . 69 Staff Enlisted Personnel in the Field . . 71 Common Challenges and Common Solutions . . 72 Conclusion . . 83 4. The Administrative Departments . . 85 Adjutant General’s Department . . 85 Inspector General’s Department . . 90 Judge Advocate General’s Department . . 94 Pay Department . . 98 Temporary Bureaus . . 104 Conclusion . . 107 5. Subsistence Department . . 109 Mission and Functions . . 109 Leadership . . 109 Personnel . . 110 Organization . . 111 Operations and Issues . . 112 Challenges and Achievements . . 118 6. Ordnance Department . . 119 Mission and Functions . . 119 Leadership . . 119 Personnel . . 121 Organization . . 122 Operations and Issues . . 127 Challenges and Achievements . . 135 Contents 7. Quartermaster’s Department . . 139 Mission and Functions . . 139 Leadership . . 140 Personnel . . 141 Organization . . 142 Operations and Issues . . 151 Challenges and Achievements . . 161 8. Medical Department . . 163 Mission and Functions . . 163 Leadership . . 164 Personnel . . 166 Organization . . 168 Operations and Issues . . 177 Challenges and Achievements . . 188 The Army in the Field 9. Transition to War . . 193 Army Life on the Eve of the War . . 194 Confrontation in the East . . 196 Surrender in Texas . . 198 Events in the West . . 200 Adding More Regulars . . 203 The First Big Battle . . 205 War Begins in the West . . 210 A Year of Transition . . 213 10. The Infantry . . 215 Regimental Colonels . . 218 The Old Regiments . . 219 The New Regiments . . 223 Casualties . . 227 Valverde, February 1862 . . 227 The Regular Infantry Division in the East . . 230 The Regular Infantry Brigade in the West . . 237 Regular Infantry in the War . . 242 11. The Cavalry . . 245 Regimental Colonels . . 245 Regiments . . 247 Casualties . . 252 Cavalry Horses . . 252 Cavalry with the Army of the Potomac . . 252 The Army of the Shenandoah . . 260 The Last Campaign, 1865 . . 262 Regular Cavalry in the War . . 263 12. The Artillery . . 265 Artillery in the Mexican War . . 265 Regimental Colonels . . 266 Regiments . . 267 Casualties . . 271 Guns . . 271 Artillery Horses . . 272 Horse Artillery . . 273 Artillery in the Army of the Potomac . . 274 Gettysburg, July 1863 . . 278 Other Union Army Artillery . . 281 Shiloh, April 1862 . . 281 Regular Artillery in the War . . 282 13. The Fighting Bureaus . . 285 Corps of Engineers . . 285 Signal Corps . . 292 Reflections on the Regular Army in the Civil War . . 303 Transition to Peace . . 304 “The Efficient Discharge of Duty” . . 306 “The Performance of Gallant Deeds” . . 308 An Epitaph for the Regular Army . . 312 Appendix: Selected Acts of Congress Pertaining to the Regular Army . . 315 Notes . . 321 Glossary of Acronyms Used in the Text . . 367 Selected Bibliography . . 369 Index . . 377 ...