old porcupine heading to Richmond
“In an emotional ceremony, General Braxton Bragg surrenders command of the Army of Tennessee to General William J. Hardee at Dalton, Georgia[1]”
From the Richmond Daily Dispatch December 8, 1863:
Farewell order of Gen. Bragg.
The following is Gen. Bragg’s farewell order to his army:
General Order, No. 214.
Upon renewed application to the President his consent has been obtained for the relinquishment of the command of this army. It is accordingly transferred to Lieut. General Hardee.
The announcement of this separation is made with unfeigned regret. An association of more than two years, which bold together a commander and his trusted troops, cannot be severed without deep emotion. For a common cause, dangers shared on many hard fought fields have cemented bonds which time can never impair. The circumstances which render this step proper will be appreciated by every good soldier and true patriot. The last appeal the General has to make to the gallant army which has so long nobly sustained him, is to give his successor that cordial and generous support so essential to the success of your arms. In that successor you have a veteran whose brilliant reputation you have aided to achieve. To the officers of my General Staff, who have so long, zealously, and successfully struggled against serious difficulties to support the army and myself, is due, in a great degree, what little success and fame we have achieved. Bidding them and the army an affectionate farewell, they have the blessings and prayers of a grateful friend.
Braxton Bragg.
land of the last straw
On assuming command, Lt. Gen. Hardee issued the following General Order:
Soldiers of the Army of Tennessee:General Bragg having been relieved from duty with the army, the command has devolved upon me. The steady courage, the unsullied patriotism of the distinguished leader who has shared your fortunes for more than a year, will long be remembered by this army and the country he served so well. I desire to say, in assuming the command, that this is no cause for discouragement. The overwhelming numbers of the enemy forced us from Missionary Ridge, but the army retired intact and in good heart. Our losses are small, and will be rapidly repaired. The country is looking upon you. Only the weak tide need be cheered by constant success. Veterans of Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro’, and Chickamauga, require no such stimulant to sustain their courage. Let the past take care of itself. We can and must take care of the future.
[Signed,]
W. J. Hardee.
Braxton Bragg would head to Richmond, where he became military adviser to Jefferson Davis. William J. Hardee only accepted overall command of the Army of Tennessee on a temporary basis. President Davis would have to pick a more permanent replacement.
You can read a thorough and even-handed analysis of Braxton Bragg’s generalship at The Cincinnati Civil War Round Table. Grady McWhiney begins his piece with a Confederate girl’s first impression:
As the Confederacy was dying, A Georgia girl wrote in her diary: “Generals Bragg and Breckinridge are in the village with a host of minor celebrities. General Breckinridge is called the handsomest man in the Confederate army, and Bragg might be called the ugliest. He looks like an old porcupine.”
And Bragg could be prickly. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard Civil War historian Gary Gallagher say part of the reason for that is that Bragg never really felt physically well because of untreated and/or untreatable ailments.
A coincidence that Breckinridge and Bragg are next to each other in the following photomontage:
Hardee, Breckinridge, and Bragg
- [1]Fredriksen, John C. Civil War Almanac. New York: Checkmark Books, 2008. Print. page 380.↩
