Today in History:

651 Series I Volume XVI-I Serial 22 - Morgan's First Kentucky Raid, Perryville Campaign Part I

Page 651 Chapter XXVIII. GENERAL REPORTS.

take in the report of the 20th of August. Those reports were made up in Nashville, and frequently from reposts two and three weeks old. They were made up from reports as they were received, and the commands being in the field, they were irregularly received.

Question. When did the last division which came from Corinth arrive at Athens and what was the strength of that division?

I do not know, sir; I was not in Alabama at the time.

Question. I speak of the last, the First Division, which composed the Army of the Ohio at Corinth-General Thomas' division.

I do not know the date of its arrival. It had about 6,000 men for duty. (Major Wright looking over the consolidated reports.) The First Division is not included in any of these consolidated reports of the general strength of the army. I got my information from a separate report which was received at my office.

Question. What was the date of that report, as well as you remember?

It was in the early part of August. I have forgotten the exact date.

Question. Refer to the last report for August that is before you and state the full effective strength of the force under my command in Tennessee and Kentucky at that date.

According to this report the total force was 45,454 men, and the aggregate strength of the entire force 68,749.

Question. Does that include the present and the absent?

It include everything, present and absent.

Question. Does that report include the whole force in my command; is there any omission from it?

The First Division is not included.

Question. Is there any other omission from it?

None that I can discover, sir. The effective strength on August 20, as corrected, is 53,309.

Question. What is the error which you have corrected to make this strength as you now give it and how does the error occur?

It is an error in summing up the totals of the divisions.

Question. Add now the effective strength of the division which is omitted in that return and then state what was the whole effective strength of the force under my command.

It was 59,309.

Question. Examine the report carefully and state how that force was distributed; how much of it was on the south side of the Cumberland River, exclusive of the force at Cumberland Gap, and how the other part of the force was distributed; that is, that part not included in the item which I have given you.

South of the Cumberland River the effective strength was 47,537. I would like to call attention to another inaccuracy in this report in representing some of the regiments which were north of the Cumberland as being at Nashville. There are three regiments in the report which I have marked; one of them, the Seventy-first Ohio, Colonel Mason, was at Clarksville, and not in General Buell's command.

Question. The report, then, does not represent with accuracy the force that was on the south side of the Cumberland at that date?

No, sir; it does not. I discovered this inaccuracy when I was looking over the report at Nashville, when I was endeavoring to get more accurate information, which I prepared.

Question. What is that information?


Page 651 Chapter XXVIII. GENERAL REPORTS.