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14. The Old Soldiers Are Much Better Satisfied: December 1863–May 5, 1864
- The University of Alabama Press
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14 The old Soldiers Are much Better Satisfied December 1863–may 5, 1864 only days after the missionary ridge debacle, the Army of Tennessee halted its retreat at Dalton, a small railroad town situated on the Western and Atlantic railroad in the mountains of northern Georgia. While the army remained encamped about the town for the next six months, the troops certainly did not remain idle. Though the soldiers spent the cold winter days at drill and standing for inspection , their morale gained a boost in the appointment of General Joseph e. Johnston and his implementation of a new furlough system. For the Florida Brigade, gaining adequate clothing and shoes became a significant outcome of the Dalton hiatus. By may, when new leaves covered the trees and the flowers bloomed, they stood well prepared and willing to contest the Federal Army for control of Georgia. on the northern edge of Dalton, the Florida Brigade’s campground was abuzz with activity during the first days of December. The soldiers worked in various capacities , cutting timber and constructing cabins for shelter against the oncoming winter. These huts, which Sergeant Archie livingston described as having “chimneys and comfortable bunks, and upon the whole . . . dry and comfortable,” were a necessity, as many of the brigade’s soldiers suffered from a dearth of footwear and blankets. many troops, particularly those who had fled from missionary ridge’s base, fared worse, as any extra clothing they possessed was left in the rifle pits during the hasty withdrawal. lieutenant Colonel edward mashburn wrote state legislator enoch vann, “[W]e are as Comfortable as the scarcity of blankets and Under Clothing will permit.”1 Brigadier General Jesse Finley worked diligently to alleviate these deficits. in mid-December the general alerted Governor milton to the fact that he had requested permission from General William J. Hardee to dispatch “one man from each company to proceed to Florida, to collect and bring to the command all the clothing, which the friends and families of our gallant soldier may have to send them, or which may be appropriated by the State.” Washington ives explained in a letter to his father that during the Christmas season the brigade had to rely on Florida’s citizens for relief, for although “there has been a limited issue of Shirts, Pants, Jackets, Shoes etc. showing that the government is willing to supply us if it were able . . . the supply . . . are not equal to the demand.” The citizens of Florida responded to General Finley’s request with zeal, but precious weeks passed before the needed goods arrived.2 168 Chapter 14 Pleasant news did arrive quickly, though, in the form of lieutenants Daniel Knight and William roberts, two officers who surrendered on missionary ridge. Days after their capture the two men escaped from their yankee captors and made their way to Dalton. The lieutenants brought word of comrades who had been captured and killed in the battle, and that in turn allowed the casualties’ loved ones to be notified. A family friend wrote to Amanda Bullock to inform her that her husband , Colonel robert Bullock, though a prisoner, “was treated very well, and that he was quite cheerful.” The brigade missed the missionary ridge prisoners considerably ; by December the unit counted just over nine hundred effectives.3 During the months spent at Dalton, the regiments’ command structures underwent alterations as well. Winter saw Angus mclean, the young lawyer, ascend to the colonelcy of the 6th Florida in the wake of General Finley’s promotion. in lieu of Colonel William S. Dilworth’s continuing absence due to illness, lieutenant Colonel mashburn commanded the 1st and 3rd Florida, and lieutenant Colonel Tillman ingram succeeded Colonel robert Bullock in leading the 7th Florida. The most significant change in the Florida Brigade’s composition was the consolidation of the 1st Florida Cavalry, Dismounted, and 4th Florida infantry. The two regiments , thrown together under temporary commander lieutenant Colonel edward Badger, consisted of only five companies and numbered but 190 soldiers in early December. The 1st Florida Cavalry’s three mounted companies were dismounted in early 1864 and joined the consolidated regiment as infantry. of the brigade’s plight, Benjamin Glover bluntly observed, “[o]ur Brigade is a fare [sic] sample of our army as it now stands.”4 very few of the soldiers captured at missionary ridge would ever fight again, for the federal government in late 1863 disregarded the 1862 agreement regarding prisoner exchange. This decision came after vicksburg parolees...