Winter 1864 Operations
In January, 1864, Col. Josiah
Patterson's Fifth Alabama Cavalry remained assigned to Brig. Gen. Philip Dale Roddey's
Brigade in the District of Northern Alabama. On January 6,
1864, Brig. Gen. Dodge (Union) reports that Roddey's command
is to guard the north bank of the Tennessee from Flint River
to Bear Creek.
On January 8, 1864, Gen. Dodge writes to General U.S. Grant:
**** I think Forrest is out of West Tennessee.**** Roddey
started to Forrest but got word from Forrest that he had got
out, and he returned. Spent New Years' at Russellville. This
is reliable. He has now 20 boats at Little Bear, and has 100
men detailed all the time building.
On January 10, 1864, Brig. Gen. Dodge, says that Roddey's
keeps his teams that forage on this side (north) of the
river, at Fosters Mills, 9 miles below Florence.
Brig. Gen. Dodge reports on the 12th, that Roddey is in
Tuscumbia and Russellville Valley, with not to exceed 1,600
effective men.
On January 19, 1864. Brig. Gen. G.M. Dodge reports from
Pulaski, Tennessee, in part as follows:
A force of mine started from 6 miles west of Florence
yesterday. They found one regiment of Roddey's on this side
of the Tennessee foraging. All reports of prisoners, scouts
and citizens show that Roddey has and is building flats and
hiding them in Little Bear Creek, where he now has over
twenty; also in Spring and Town Creek, with one near
Courtland. He has several in each of these creeks, and has
been over two months building them. Roddey has about 1,600
effective men.
On January 20, 1864, Major General Thomas (Union) issued
orders to Brig. Gen. Dodge to organize a force and drive
Roddey from where he is and destroy all boats and any
material that might aid him in crossing river.
On January 22, 1864, from Huntsville, Alabama, Brig. Gen.
Geo. Crook (Union) reports:
I have information from General Morgan L. Smith, at
Larkinsville, that Roddey proposed to cross the river above
Decatur.
If any expedition is sent to the river at any point, and
Roddey should cross at some point far distant, he could get
in our rear and do much damage before we could reach him. It
would be difficult for the expedition to cross the river and
attack him there for want of boats.
My scouts report he has the river guarded from Whitesburg to
Corinth, and report him to have 1,200 men. ****
On January 22, 1864 Brig. Gen. Dodge reports to Maj. Gen.
W.T. Sherman, parts of which follow:
**** Colonel Johnson with 800 men is in Colbert Reserve,
probably foraging. If I can get together 400 or 500 mounted
men I will send after him.
Roddey has about 1,600 effective men scattered from Decatur
to Big Bear Creek and in Russellville valley. Two thousand
good cavalry, or less, could clean out all that country. ****
The following is a copy of a telegram received by Maj. Gen.
Rousseau on January 22, 1864, from Col. H.R. Mizner (Union),
commanding at Columbia, Tenn.:
Fourteen hundred men of Roddey's command, under Johnson and
Moran (Moreland) crossed the Tennessee between Florence and
Clifton on Monday, designing a raid upon the railroad line
and destruction of bridges. I have advised General Dodge at
Pulaski I shall watch closely.
On January 28, 1864, Brig. Gen. Wm. Sooy Smith, commanding,
Union cavalry in Mississippi, write to Brig. Gen. Geo. Crook
in Huntsville:
I start in about three days with 7,000 men to Meridian via
Pontoloc. Demonstrate in Decatur to hold Roddey.
The Senators and Representatives from the State of Alabama
sent a letter to the Secretary of War at Richmond,
expressing their views about the military conditions in
North Alabama and suggesting certain actions be taken to
establish security for citizens in that area. The Tennessee
River runs from east to west across the north portion of
Alabama, and being deep and wide, retards the foe from
crossing. The river is the dividing line between the two
sides. Portions of that letter follows:
**** Brigade-General Roddey, with his command, is guarding a
portion of the south side of the river; but to enable him to
do so more effectually, and to protect the country from the
enemy at Corinth, Miss., and also to draw supplies for our
army from Middle Tennessee, which he is expected to do, will
require a much larger force than he now has under his
command. A glance at the map of the country will satisfy any
one that if the raiding parties of the enemy be permitted to
cross the river there is no natural barrier to prevent him
from sweeping as low down the country as the Alabama River,
penetrating that region of the state in which is located the
mining and manufacturing establishments now getting into
successful operation, and which it is believed are and will
continue to be of great benefit to our cause. To protect our
people against such calamities as would result from the
incursions of the enemy, we deem it of utmost importance
that General Roddey's command be retained in its present
locality, and that he be allowed to his force from the
adjacent country and from the region within the line of the
enemy, and have returned to him the five companied of
Alabama troops now under command of Major-General Forrest.
These companies were all raised by General Roddey, mostly
within the enemy's lines, and who entered the service
expecting to remain under his command. They are very anxious
to be restored to General Roddey's brigade, and we
understand that General Forrest would not object to such
restoration.
Lieut. General L. Polk, commanding in the Department of
Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana, had sent a request
to Richmond, on January 14, 1864, asking that General
Roddey's command be assigned to a division to be commanded
by Brig. Gen. Pillow. General J.E. Johnston, commanding the
Army of Tennessee, on February 2, 1864, advised he had
already ordered General Roddey's command, except one
regiment, to join him in Northwest Georgia.
The same type of letter, by leading citizens of Alabama,
containing much the same views as the Senators and
Representatives, was sent to the Secretary of War in
Richmond, on January 15, 1864, and recommending that
Brigadier-General Pillow be assigned as requested by Lieut.
General Polk. The Governor of Alabama, T.H. Watts, also
endorsed Brig. Gen. Gid. J. Pillow for that position.
General Johnston in his endorsement of the request, states
his belief that Gen. Lee, commanding cavalry in Mississippi,
should furnish the two brigades requested for General
Pillow's division, as he plans to use part of Roddey's
command to cut communications between Knoxsville and
Chattanooga.
In the
returns of the troops in the Army of Tennessee, on January 20,
1864, General Joseph E, Johnston, commanding, list the
following:
Roddey's Brigade (Detached)
Brig. Gen. Philip D. Roddey
4th Alabama, Col. William A. Johnson.
5th Alabama, Col. Josiah Patterson.
53rd Alabama, Col. M.W. Hannon.
Moreland's Alabama Battalion, Lt.
Col. M.D. Moreland
On January 23, 1864, General Johnston advised President
Davis that he had directed Brig. Gen. Roddey, who was near
Tuscumbia with a force said to amount to 3,000 men, to leave
his best colonel there with his regiment, and to join him
with rest of his command.
On January 30, 1864, Brig. Gen. Roddey, in reply to Maj.
Gen. Wheeler's order of the 23rd, to transfer part of his
command to Northwest Georgia, states that his command is
much scattered all the way into West Tennessee, and it will
take him twenty days to transfer his command. A portion of
his report, to Maj. Gen. Wheeler on that date follows:
**** I have written ordering Colonel Patterson to move with
his command by the nearest direct route to Gadsden and the
courier has gone with orders. ****
On January 30, 1864, Governor T.H. Watts of Alabama, wrote:
**** I learn from the Hon. David P. Lewis, of Moulton,
Lawrence County, Alabama, that General Roddey's command has
been removed from Tuscumbia to Smithfield, Mississippi, and
the people of Northern Alabama, are much depressed in
spirit, apprehending raids south of the Tennessee River.****
Brig. Gen. Dodge issues several reports from Pulaski,
Tennessee, of the skirmishing that took place between
January 25 to 29, 1864. On the 25th, Union forces move out
of Huntsville to drive Brig. Gen. Roddey's troops on the
north side of the Tennessee River, near Florence, back
across. The Union force was successful in driving Roddey's
force back across. In the mean while, Brig. Gen. Roddey
mounted an attack on Athens, Alabama. Upon learning of this
move, the Union force around Florence, Alabama, moved in the
direction of Athens, to relieve that place. After some
skirmishes, Brig. Gen. Roddey's troops moved across the
Tennessee River to the south side.
On February 14, 1864, Brig. Gen. Dodge (Union), reports that
Roddey with his command and part of Davidson's brigade has
moved in the direction of Gadsden, leaving few men in the
valley. Brig. Gen. Dodge ask on the 19th, if any troops have
returned to the valley since Roddey left. On the 23rd, a
scout reported to Brig. Gen. Dodge that he had seen Brig.
Gen. Roddey's command of 2,500 men in Gadsden, Alabama, 4 or
5 days before.
General J.E. Johnston reports on the 17th that he can not
cut off supplies to Knoxsville for lack of cavalry, but he
expects Roddey with additional troops which should allow him
to do so.
On February 25, 1864, W.W. Mackall, Chief of Staff, to
General Johnston writes to Brig. Gen. Roddey at Rome,
Georgia, that the general finds the delay in Roddey's
movement inexcusable, and he is to proceed at once to
Dalton, Georgia.
On March 6, 1864, Major-General John M. Palmer (Union)
writes to Brig. Gen. W.D. Whipple, as follows:
GENERAL: Five deserters just brought in confirm the report
that Roddey passed through Rome on his way to Dalton. They
say the brigades of Roddey and Patterson came together from
Alabama, and that all the troops in that quarter are ordered
to Dalton.
I think the report now show that there are four cavalry
brigades in the neighborhood of Dalton- Davidson's, Hume's,
Roddey's, and Patterson's. These deserters say horses are in
bad condition. The brigades which came from Alabama, are two
regiments each.
The Fifth Alabama Cavalry Regiment remained on duty in
Northwest Georgia, until the early April, 1864, at which
time it was ordered back to Northern Alabama. While Roddey's
force was absent from the Tennessee Valley, the Union raided
extensively south of the river. The Union put a pontoon
brigade across the river at Decatur, with the intention of
fortifying that place as a base to send raids on the south
side of the river and into the heart of Alabama.
With the absence of Brig. Gen. Roddey from the Tennessee
Valley, Maj. Gen. S.D. Lee was placed in command of North
Alabama. Very few troops had been left in the valley.
On April 4, 1864, From the Headquarters of the Army of
Tennessee, Dalton, Georgia, The following message was sent:
Maj. Gen. Wheeler,
Commanding Cavalry:
GENERAL: General Johnston directs that you order Patterson's
brigade, of Roddey's command, to proceed to North Alabama to
operate against the enemy in that section.
On April 7, 1864, From Dalton, Georgia, General J.E.
Johnston wrote:
Lieutenant- General Polk:
Colonel Patterson has moved with about 900 effective cavalry
of Roddey's brigade to the district it formerly occupied.
Also the same day, Colonel M.W. Hannon, commanding brigade,
wrote to the Governor of Alabama, T.H. Watts, part of which
follows:
**** A portion of General Roddey's command left yesterday,
under Colonel Patterson, for North Alabama. This force,
however, was mostly composed of raw recruits, and will not
accomplish a great deal. ****
Colonel Patterson, with his command, went to the vicinity of
Decatur, Alabama, marching over country barren of
subsistence. Upon arrival at Decatur, the troops where daily
skirmishing with the Union force.
On April 14, 1864, Union Brig. Gen. G.M. Dodge, reported:
**** Scout from Whitesburg says it was reported by soldiers
that General (Colonel) Patterson with a cavalry force was on
way to this front. ****
On April 15, 1864, Union Gen. Dodge writes:
**** The new force that arrived on Flint is Patterson's,
estimated 2,000. I do not see how they can subsist all this
cavalry. ****
On April 16, 1864, at 10 a.m., Colonel Patterson was
reported 12 miles from Decatur on the Danville road.
Patterson's regiment was bivouacked on the road from Moulton
to Decatur on April 17.
On April 24, 1864, Union Brig. Gen. James C. Veatch writes
in part:
**** Patterson's regiment on the Moulton road; Pickett and
Nixon east of the Moulton road, and Ashford's regiment (16th
Alabama Infantry) in squads at various points. ****
On April 27, 1864, Colonel Patterson's command is reported
on the Decatur and Moulton road at Shoal Creek.
The Fifth Alabama Cavalry was again in its home area. This
allowed the men opportunity to visit home, obtain clothing,
and exchange their horses. Much hard service still faced the
men and animals.
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