SIR: I have the
honor herewith to submit a report of the strength and condition of all the
forces now in East Tennessee for the past few weeks acting under my command,
together with their location, field of duty, &c. My immediate command,
assigned by the Secretary of War, is as follows:
Senior (Thirty-eighth) Regiment: Colonel,
Robert F. Looney; lieutenant-colonel, E. J. Golladay; major, D. H. Thrasher.
Organized September 23, for twelve months. Stationed at Knoxville. This
regiment is but imperfectly armed, having but 250 guns, consisting of rifles,
double-barreled shot-guns, and muskets. Of these not more than 50 are perfect.
This regiment is now stationed at this place, except one company, which is on
detached service at Morristown. Strength of regiment, 988.
Second(Thirty-ninth)
Regiment:1 Colonel, Moses White; lieutenant-colonel,
Hunter P. Moffit; major, W. M. Hunt (acting). Organized October 11, 1861, for
twelve months. This regiment is also stationed at Knoxville, except one
company, which is on detached service at Morristown. The arms of this regiment
consist of about 200 rifles, shot-guns, and muskets, mostly unfit for use
except in an emergency. Strength of regiment, 771.
In addition to the
two regiments above mentioned there are seven companies that have been mustered
into service that have heretofore been nominally under the command of Col. W.
T. Avery, which were also assigned me by the Secretary of War. These have not
yet been organized into a regiment, for the reason that three of them which I
left at a camp of instruction at Germantown were ordered to Fort Pillow by
General Pillow, commanding at Columbus. The other four companies are in the
neighborhood of Knoxville.
I have written to
General Pillow, protesting against this interference with my command, and requested him to order
the three companies now at Fort Pillow to move immediately to this place.
Should he do so, the regiment will be organized at once. Should he not do so, I
shall appeal to the Secretary of War.
When I reached
Chattanooga with my command, on the march to this point, I was joined by the
following regiment:
[Thirty-second
Regiment]: Colonel, E. C.
Cook; lieutenant-colonel, W. P. Moore; major, ——— Brownlow. Organized ———, for
twelve months. This regiment is still at Chattanooga, awaiting further orders.
It is armed with 500 flint-lock muskets, in good order. Strength of regiment,
850.
When Colonel Cook
reported to me he informed me that he was assigned to no command and requested
me to attach him to my brigade, which I did until such time as I should receive
orders from you. Should it meet your approval, I should be glad to have him
continued under my command. I would also suggest that he be ordered to this
place, as there is no further necessity for the services of his regiment at the
place where it now is, as every indication of a rebellion in that section of
country has entirely disappeared.
Col. J. W.
Gillespie, of this city, has reported to me the following companies, with the
request that they should be organized into a regiment and attached to my
brigade, viz:
Capt. A. J. Cawood,
stationed at Loudon, partially armed; Capt. S. T. Turner, stationed at Loudon;
Capt. L. Guthrie, stationed at Knoxville; Capt. John Goodman, stationed at
Knoxville; Capt. D. Neff, stationed at Knoxville; Capt. W. J. Hill, stationed
at Knoxville; Capt. A.W. Hodge, stationed at Knoxville; Capt. W. L. Lafferty,
stationed at Calhoun; Capt. W. H. McKamy, stationed at Charleston; Capt. J. W.
Phillips, stationed at Rogersville.
The strength of this
regiment will reach about 850 men. Some of these companies are partially armed
with old country rifles and shotguns. I have ordered all of them to rendezvous
at Camp Key, in the vicinity of this city, and will organize them into a
regiment early next week.
The following
detached companies have also reported to me, viz: Capt. W. D. Smith, stationed
at Charleston; Capt. J.P. Brown, stationed at Madisonville; Capt. J. B. Cook,
stationed at Athens; Capt. W. C. Nelson, stationed at Philadelphia; Capt. H.
Harris, stationed at Sevierville; Capt. W. G. McCain, stationed at Knoxville.
These companies are
also partially armed with such guns as could be secured in the surrounding
country. So soon as these companies can be relieved from duty at the places
where they are now stationed I will concentrate them at this or some other
convenient point and organize them into a regiment.
Artillery.—Captain George H. Monsarrat; first senior
lieutenant, E. Baxter; first junior lieutenant, Brian; second senior
lieutenant, Freeman; second junior lieutenant, [C.] Freeman; 140 men, 4 guns, 3
caissons, 103 horses.
This company is now
stationed near this city; is under the command of one of the most active and
efficient officers in the service. It is thoroughly drilled and disciplined.
Six more guns will be obtained in a few days and the command increased to 250
men.
Cavalry.—The following cavalry companies have
reported to me and have been acting under my orders, viz:
Captain McLin,
stationed at Lick Creek; Captain Brock, stationed at Knoxville; Capt. J. F.
White, stationed at Maryville; Capt. W. L. Brown, stationed at Cleveland; Capt.
D. C. Ghormley, stationed in Cocke County; Capt. R. W. McClary, stationed at
Cleveland; Capt. S. W. Eldredge, stationed at Loudon.
The foregoing
comprised all the force attached to my immediate command. Other forces,
however, have reported to me and acted under my command, consisting of the
following:
Col. W. B. Wood's
regiment, at present stationed new this place, numbering about 800 men, armed
with flint-lock muskets. This regiment is attached to the brigade of
Brigadier-General Zollicoffer.
Capt. H. L. W.
McClung's battery, consisting of two 6-pounder and two 12-pounder guns, with
caissons, horses, &c., numbering about 100 men; Captain Gillespie's
cavalry, numbering about 100 men, armed with double-barreled shot-guns. Both
these companies belong to the command of General Zollicoffer.
There are other
forces stationed at various points in East Tennessee from the commanders of
which I have received no official report and have no certain information
concerning them. The following is the most reliable I have been able to obtain:
Col. Samuel Powell's
regiment, stationed at Greeneville. Of its strength, arms, &c., I have no
knowledge, nor do I know to what command it is attached.
Col. S. A.M. Wood's
regiment is stationed 10 miles east of Chattanooga; is thoroughly equipped, and
with Springfield muskets. This regiment belongs, I understand, to the command
of Brigadier-General Bragg, and was sent by him from Pensacola to Chattanooga
for temporary service until such time as I could reach there with my command.
Col. R. B. Vance's
regiment is stationed at Greeneville; numbers about 800 men, and is efficiently
armed. I do not know to what command it is attached.
Col. D. Leadbetter
is stationed, with his regiment, somewhere in the neighborhood of Morristown,
on the line of the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad. I have no other
information concerning his command.
Lieutenant-Colonel
Stovall's battalion is stationed at Greeneville, numbering 500 men, and is
efficiently armed.
The foregoing is all
the organized force of which I have any knowledge in East Tennessee, except
Colonel Churchwell's regiment, which I understand is a portion of General
Zollicoffer's command. I do not know its present location.
Another of General
Zollicoffer's regiments, commanded by Colonel Statham, is, I learn, stationed
at Cumberland Gap.
There are various
companies, I am informed, being organized in the surrounding counties, and
should the necessity arise and arms could be procured I have no doubt but an
additional force of 4,000 or 5,000 men could easily be brought into the field
from East Tennessee.
Strength of my immediate command:
|
Infantry. |
4,400 |
|
Cavalry. |
450 |
|
Artillery. |
150 |
|
Total |
5,000 |
|
Other forces in
East Tennessee |
6,000 |
|
Whole amount of
force in East Tennessee. |
11,000 |
The foregoing report is as perfect a one as I am able to make with the meager information at present before me. My own command being as yet to a great extent unorganized and stationed in small detachments at so many different points, I have not been able to obtain regular and official reports. But in the main the above statement of its strength, condition, &c., is very nearly accurate in point of numbers, as well as in other particulars.
The other forces to
which I have alluded were not under my command, and therefore I had no right to
require the official information from them, but have had to rely upon such
statements as were reported to me by others.
1 Appears on Register as Thirty-seventh Regiment.
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