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100 orlando m. poe Six “a Matter of Much Gratification to a Proud and Sensitive Man” 1863—Kentucky and Tennessee having amply recovered from the exhaustion that had beset him following the battle at Fredericksburg, Poe set out on his return trip to washington , D.c., on February 9, with a stop on personal business in harrisburg, Pennsylvania, along the way. The entire ninth corps, now commanded by Gen. william “Baldy” Smith, had been ordered to Fortress Monroe on February 5 to serve as a garrison force, with the rumor mill hinting at redeployment to north carolina. By the thirteenth, he had reached washington, where that same rumor mill had shifted into a higher gear. There, Poe was told of the pending congressional confirmation of purportedly twenty major and fifty brigadier generals. Given the lack of movement of his name, Poe became despondent at this news. “i suppose that out of this pile i will stand but little chance,” he wrote to nell prior to shipping out for the Peninsula.1 a few days later euphoria had replaced despair, for some good news was awaiting Poe upon his arrival at Fortress Monroe. For the time being at least, his pessimism regarding promotion could be set aside. he learned that he now had command of a division in the ninth corps, albeit temporarily. Since “Baldy” Smith had yet to arrive, Gen. Orlando willcox had moved up to command the corps, thereby paving the way for willcox to place Poe in charge of his old division. Orlando willcox had a professional background similar to Poe’s. willcox had graduated from west Point in 1847. he hailed from Detroit, which gave the two men a shared Michigan connection, and when war broke out, willcox became the founding colonel of the 1st Michigan infantry. he was captured by the confederates at the First Bull run and remained a prisoner in richmond for just over a year. Upon his release in august 1862, he was given the rank of 100 1863—kentucky and tennessee 101 brigadier general as well as command of the first division in Burnside’s ninth corps, where he and Poe quickly became cordial colleagues.2 willcox showed no reluctance in giving Poe the command. Once again, a fellow officer in the field had shown no doubt about Poe’s abilities. even better for Poe, his official appointment to brigadier general had finally come through. while he had been on leave, the president’s office had sent his name to congress on January 6 requesting official confirmation to brigadier general, retroactive to november 29. Formal approval of that appeal would be his next hurdle. Though lincoln’s office had appointed him to brigadier general, such promotions were ultimately no more than formal recommendations that were subject to the “advice and consent” of the congress. if congress failed or declined to confirm the appointee prior to the end of its next normal session, the appointment would lapse, forcing the officer to immediately revert back to his previous rank in a manner one historian likened to cinderella at midnight.3 Poe was outwardly delighted with both pieces of news, causing his blues to vanish for the time being. he had hope that his career was again on the rise. Surely such confidence in his abilities and its attendant responsibility would show congress that he was well worthy of being confirmed a brigadier. On the inside, however, Poe sensed that his appointment to brigadier and “acting” division commander were faint victories. Only three months earlier, Poe had been seeking the promotion and confirmation for several men within the 2d Michigan. Pleading his case to Michigan’s adjutant general, Poe emphasized, “no man can do his duty so thoroughly, nor be obeyed so implicitly while merely ‘acting,’ as after his commission assures him of his right to command.” now, as then, Poe’s intuition told him not to celebrate just yet.4 Unfortunately for Poe, he was merely one small army cog in the much larger and more potent washington machine. in addition to the previously discussed circumstances affecting his promotion, the political fallout from the Fredericksburg disaster had been building throughout January and was now coming to a head. Maj. Gen. ambrose Burnside, who had led the army of the Potomac only since november, became rightly convinced that a cabal of his generals had plotted against him behind his back and were seeking his removal. learning of their intrigues through lincoln, Burnside was determined to...

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