Brigadier General James Deshler
Meeting Defeat at Arkansas Post
Confederate Colonel James Deshler was at the peak of his frustration.
On January 11, 1863, after an intense firefight at Arkansas Post against
overwhelming odds, he was ordered to surrender by the garrison commander, Brigadier
General Thomas J. Churchill. Deshler was not one to give up without a fight,
preferring to fight until the last cartridge was spent. Seeing captured regimental
flags dispersed among the hated Yanks further darkened his mood. Who better to
reveal that mood to than the Union commander – General William Tecumseh
Sherman. I approached Deshler “wishing to soften the blow of defeat,” Sherman
recalled. “I spoke to him kindly, saying that I knew a family of Deshlers in
Columbus, Ohio, and inquired if they were relations of his. He disclaimed any
relation with people living north of the Ohio, in an offensive tone.” Now
prisoners of war, Deshler and his fellow officers were transported to the
frozen hell hole of Johnson Island, Ohio. For the enlisted men from Texas, their
prison camp was worse - Camp Douglas near Chicago.
Death Camp
Camp Douglas was a filthy, disease-ridden prisoner of war
camp that was as dangerous to its guards as it was to its prisoners. Initially
a training camp for Union enlistees, the camp eventually became a prison camp
under the firm hand of General Jacob Ammen. One thousand, five hundred ragged prisoners
from Fort Hindman near Arkansas Post arrived on January 30, 1863. Many were
already sick from the wretched conditions inside the fort. Weak from illness
and a poor diet, they were more than vulnerable to a variety of fatal diseases that
included smallpox, pneumonia and typhoid. A reporter described them as “being more
poorly clad, dirtier, and more cadaverous than any that have been in camp
before.” By the time of their arrival, the camp was buried under snow and ice
and battered by sub-zero winds. Prisoners slept two to three in a bunk without bedding
and blankets, facilitating the spread of disease. Before the end of April 1863,
the Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas were exchanged. The surviving Arkansas
Post prisoners were transported to Fort Monroe, Virginia then released into the
Confederacy and renewed service in the Confederate Army. Out of the 3,932
prisoners at Camp Douglas, 792 died from exposure and disease. The time spent
at Camp Douglas would be nothing compared to the battle they faced ahead.
Cowards On the Rebound
Because of their surrender at Arkansas Post, the exchanged Texans
arrived at Tullahoma, Tennessee under the cloud of cowardice. They were determined to prove otherwise. The
Texans were consolidated into two regiments. The first regiment consisted of
the 6th and 10th Texas Infantry Regiments and the dismounted 15th
Texas Cavalry Regiment under the command of Colonel Roger Q. Mills. The second regiment
consisted of the dismounted 17th,18th, 24th,
and 25th Texas Cavalry Regiments under Colonel Franklin C. Wilkes.
Alongside the 19th and 24th Arkansas Infantry Regiments,
they were placed under the command of the newly promoted Brigadier General
James Deshler and then attached to General Patrick Cleburne’s Division of the
Army of Tennessee. A stickler for drill and discipline, Cleburne had his
brigades drill seven hours a day. A
private in the 18th Texas Cavalry recalled Cleburne “drills us very
hard; we will soon be as well drilled as any troops in the service.” Among the
former prisoners, morale improved. They were becoming soldiers again.
Bragg's Dilemma
During the summer of 1863, the Confederacy was reeling from
defeats at Vicksburg and Gettysburg. Adding to this humiliation, the Army of
Tennessee, led by Major General Braxton Bragg, was maneuvered out of
Chattanooga by Major General William Rosecrans' Army of the Cumberland. Fortunately,
the retreat was orderly, but Bragg’s blood was up. He wanted to attack and
recapture Chattanooga. To help him out, he was reinforced by the detached brigades
of Major General James Longstreet from the Army of Northern Virginia. Bragg gathered
his troops just south of the Tennessee-Georgia border along a meandering
stretch of water called Chickamauga Creek or as the Cherokee’s once called it –
the River of Death. The dense pine forest nearby hindered movement and
visibility. To make matters worse, there was dissension between Bragg and his
officers, leading to costly delays and poor coordination of troop movements. As
a result, Confederate attacks were piecemeal and easier to repulse than a single,
massive well-coordinated attack.
Dresler's Redemption
The Battle of Chickamauga began in earnest on September 19,1863
after Bragg’s troops crossed Chickamauga Creek and drove off Union pickets
guarding the creek’s bridges. Both sides formed opposing lines in a north to south
crescent shape with the Confederate line pointed inward. Bragg attacked first,
trying to outflank Rosecrans’ left. Heavy cannon and musket fire left heaps of
mangled corpses for over half a mile. Cleburne’s troops followed suit, marching
northward for 3 to 4 miles to attack the Union left. Along the way, Deshler’s
men received jeers and catcalls from veteran Confederate troops who recognized them.
They became soaked after wading through the autumn chilled waters of Chickamauga
Creek. Under the command of Lieutenant General D. H. Hill, Cleburne’s Division
was placed on the far right of Bragg’s line. Following costly morning and afternoon
attacks from other Cofederate units, Cleburne was ordered to attack the Union left
under the command of Major General George Thomas. At 6:00 PM, Deshler’s Texans
stepped out, joining a mile long Confederate line. In the evening darkness, they encountered the
77th Pennsylvania and 79th Illinois Infantry Regiments.
Overwhelmed by a devastating volley and subsequent charge, they surrendered to
the Texans. For the first time, Deshler’s men tasted victory. Three hundred
prisoners were taken along with their battle flags. Deshler’s men settled in
for the night while the Union line refortified. The Confederate advance stalled
the following day. Private William J. Oliphant of the 17th Texas
Cavalry wrote, ”The enemy’s fire was terrific. Besides the infantry’s fire,
eighteen Napoleon guns poured a deadly shower of grape and canister into our
ranks as we advanced. Half our brigade went down before the terrible rain of
missiles.” Oliphant was among the fallen. Taken to a
makeshift field hospital, he later wrote, “Hundreds of blood-covered men were
lying in the straw and the number constantly increased as the ambulances and
litter-bearers arrived from the battlefields. Many of the wounded were
groaning, a few were crying out in agony, while others were quietly dying.”
Epilogue
An erroneous order by Rosecrans left a gap on his line’s right side. Longstreet’s troops poured through, forcing the Union right to dissolve into chaos. Rosecrans retreated to Chattanooga, followed by Bragg’s Confederates who laid siege to the city. Deshler was killed when a shell fragment hit him in the chest, ripping the heart from his body. He was among the eight brigade commanders, from both sides, that were killed that day. Overall, 35,000 men from both sides became casualties, making Chickamauga the second bloodiest battle of the Civil War. The Confederate victory, however, was pyrrhic, resulting in more losses than the Union side. Amid the heavy losses, the Texans redeemed themselves and earned a measure of respect they sorely lacked.
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