 |
| Leroy Pope Walker, Confederacy Secretary of War |
For the past few days, I've been reading Denis Peterson's Confederate Cabinet Departments and Secretaries
(2016). Peterson does a good job detailing the various cabinet officers’
positions, and covering the men who filled those offices. There were several of
these men about whom I really did not know much. However, I have now twice come
across sections that I feel are wrong. The first was dealing with the last days
of the Confederate government in Charlotte. I will not go into the details,
since I have written two books on the subject.
The second deals with this statement: "After the
Confederate peace commission failed to convince Lincoln to negotiate and in
preparation for possible conflict over the fort [Sumter], Walker called on each
of the seven states that made up the original Confederacy to supply 3,000
volunteers to meet any military necessity, for a total of 21,000..... Walker
immediately ran up against the doctrine of states' rights. Each state wanted
its troops to defend their own state... North Carolina's concerns were Forts
Hatteras and Clark. Those states did not like the idea of having their troops
sent to defend other states." (134)
Two things I see wrong here. 1): North Carolina was not one
of the original seven seceding states. It was the last, not leaving the Union
until May 20, 1861. The earliest call for troops that I can find is on March 9,
1861. Walker asked for troops from Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana,
and Georgia (No South Carolina. See Official
Records, Series IV, vol. 1, 135). Walker made a second call for troops on
April 16, 1861, this time mentioning the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
Louisiana, Mississippi South Carolina, Texas, and Florida. There is no mention
of North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, or Arkansas - they had not left the
Union! (Official Records, Series IV,
vol. 1, 221-222.)
2): Peterson writes that North Carolina could not send
troops because they were concerned with Forts Hatteras and Clark. Construction
of these facilities does not begin until North Carolina leaves the Union on May
20, 1861. But, North Carolina is sending troops. On May 17, 1861 (three days
before secession), Governor Clark telegraphs Walker, requesting him to accept
four regiments of 12-month men. Walker sends word back to Clark, directing that
the regiments be sent to Richmond. The 1st North Carolina Volunteers transfers
to Virginia between May 16 and May 21. The 2nd North Carolina Volunteers leaves
for Richmond on May 22, 1861, the 3rd North Carolina Volunteers leaves for
Suffolk, Virginia, on May 29, and the 4th North Carolina Volunteers leaves for
Suffolk on June 11. This is all about the same time that the construction of
Forts Hatters and Clark begins. While North Carolina would want some of these
troops back to defend their state in late 1861 and early 1862 (battle of New
Bern), I would argue that the Tar Heel state does not have a problem sending
troops to join the regular Confederate army.
I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but I think Peterson is
relying upon some older, secondary sources. For the Charlotte problems, he cites Patrick's Jefferson
Davis and His General, published in 1944.
For the above citation, it is Harris's bio on Walker, published in 1962.
No printed text is perfect, or, as I often say, I am only as
good as the material that I find. However, it makes me wonder what I am not
catching, because I am not as well read in the lives of people like Walker, or
Reagan, or Benjamin.
No comments:
Post a Comment