Sold – Don’t Divert My Best Men to Stand Guard at Andersonville, Says General Anderson

Confederate major general who commanded at Shiloh, Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge before taking over the District of Florida. In this last year of the war, with men hard to find and good men harder still, he was disturbed that the War Department’s method of organizing army units, and its army promotion practices, were hurting the war effort. He was particularly displeased that his best artillery unit was being sent from the field to guard starving Yankees at Andersonville Prison.

Autograph Letter Signed, 3 pages 4to, Headquarters, Military District of Florida, Lake City, May 27, 1864 to Col. John B. Sale. “Yours of May 6 calling on me to make report as early as practicable, suggesting a proper union of battalions & Companies throughout my command (designating them) into regiments, and that I recommend field officers, etc. only reached me last night…All of these organizations have been recently sent to Va. having been thrown together as a brigade, and Brig. Genl. Finegan assigned to the command. I cannot urge too strongly the amalgamation or consolidation of these battalions into regiments. As they are, their inefficiency and want of instruction is lamentable. I have had but little opportunity of learning the relative capacities, qualifications and military merits of the field officers now in commission, but believe that but few of them have the necessary qualifications. Lt. Col. Theodore W. Brevard, 2nd batt’n is the only one I can recommend on my own knowledge. He will make a fine colonel, if his command is only kept in the field and away from the immediate neighborhood of the homes of the men. Lt. Thomas E. Buckman, whom I have recommended for the Lt. Colonelcy of the (proposed) 9th regiment is and has been for some time Chief Ordnance Officer in this district. In the discharge of his duties he has evinced great activity, energy, good sense and business qualifications…It is a great pity the Secretary of War cannot feel warranted in going outside of these battalions – into the old depleted regiments now serving in Va. & Tenn. for experienced and skillful young officers, to take the field positions in the new organizations – young men who deserve promotion, and who have no commands, their companies having been reduced to a handful by the many casualities of war. In my opinion these are the men who deserve the command. They have a right to it too…In compliance with the request that I should make any other suggestions, etc. touching the organization, efficiency, etc. of the troops in my command, I would only say that I am more thoroughly convinced than ever that whenever it can be done troops should not be permitted to serve within their own state. This applies with equal force to officers and men (I should never have been sent to Florida!). About a month ago I rec’d a telegraphic dispatch from Genl. Cooper directing me to send Gambles Battery to Andersonville to guard Yankee prisoners. This was the only battery in the district thoroughly equipped & fit for active field service at the time, and there were three other batteries in the district without horses or harness, etc. either of which could have done the service as well – indeed better, for Gamble’s horses are in the way at Andersonville. I have learned unofficially that the officers of Gamble’s battery are now making application at Richmond to have their company returned to Florida and some other company without horses exchanged for it. I think it will be well to send Gamble’s Battery to Genl. Johnston, and let me supply its place at Andersonville with one of the companies now here which is lacking in horses. Gamble’s is too fine a company & too well equipped to be sent to the rear when Genl. Johnston is in such need of artillery.”

It is important to learn that Confederate troops were not properly detailed where they would do the most good, the fascinating example mentioned here being that the finest available artillery unit was sent to defend the notorious Andersonville Prison, whose inmates were too weak from hunger to rise up, rather than detailed to Joseph Johnston, then facing Sherman in Georgia. Moreover, with battle-tested junior officers dedicated to the cause available for leadership positions, Anderson had to plead for them to be given commands over inexperienced men. Problems such as these at a leadership level were certainly one of the causes of the Confederate defeat. Anderson’s recommendation for promotion for Brevard was concurred with and he became a brigadier general towards the end of the war, the last promotion to general officer made by Pres. Davis.

The idea of troops not serving in their home states was to prevent them from being so close to home that they could sneak off. Of the others mentioned, Capt. Robert Gamble commanded the Florida Light Artillery and Buckman was in the 10th Florida Infantry and was promoted to the general staff under Gen. Finegan. This is the most thoughtful wartime assessment of Confederate inefficiencies by a general officer we have seen, and his reference to Andersonville is also unique in our experience.