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Western Civilization Beyond

Boundaries Volume I to 1715 7th


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CHAPTER 7
The World of Late Antiquity, 284–ca. 600

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, students will be able to:
1. Evaluate the imperial restructuring under Diocletian and Constantine.
2. Compare and contrast Roman and Germanic political and social developments.
3. Evaluate the impact of the Germanic peoples on the Western Roman Empire.
4. Describe the distinctive features of the Eastern Roman Empire.
5. Explain the causes and effects of the emergence of the Catholic Church in the Roman Empire.
6. Explain the long-term impact for Western history of the split between Catholicism and
Orthodoxy.
7. Evaluate the experience of continuity and change by different social groups in Late Antiquity.
8. List the causes for the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire.
9. Identify and give the significance of the Germanic tribes that invaded, conquered, and settled the
Western Roman Empire.

CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Rebuilding the Roman Empire, 284–395
Seeking an end to civil wars, a viable military to defend the borders, and a strong economic base
for taxation, Diocletian and his successors transformed the empire.
A. The Reforms of Diocletian (R. 284–305)
1. The organizational structure of the tetrarchy
2. The reforms of Diocletian
a) New administrative structure: dioceses and prefectures
b) Bureaucracy of trained administrators
c) Expansion of the military
d) Economic and tax reforms
3. Unintended consequences of Diocletian’s reforms
a) More distance between emperor and subjects
b) Enlarged bureaucracy impinged on local autonomy
c) Expense required greater taxation
B. The Reforms of Constantine (R. 306–337)
1. Financial and military reforms
2. Legalization and favored status of Christianity with the Edict of Milan
3. Mixed assessment of Constantinian reforms
a) Militarization of society
b) Stability through a new kind of rulership
C. The Fourth-Century Empire: A Fragile Stability
1. Lack of dynastic successors created political instability.

Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


Chapter 7: The World of Late Antiquity, 284–ca. 600 31

2.Growing role and expense of central administration, increasing militarization of the


state, and loosening bonds of loyalty
II. The Catholic Church and the Roman Empire, 313–604
Christianity came to dominate the empire, as the church itself struggled for uniform belief,
increased the power of the Pope, and developed monastic life.
A. Emperors, Bishops, and Heretics
1. The development of Christian heresies: Arianism
2. The Council of Nicaea and the codification of Christian doctrine
3. Miaphysitism and the Council of Chalcedon
B. The Institutional Development of the Catholic Church, ca. 300–600
The organization of the Roman Catholic Church: deacons, priests, bishops, and archbishops
1. The Emergence of the Roman Papacy
a) Apostolic succession
b) Theodosius’ laws and the growing connection between church and state
c) The Petrine Primacy under Pope Leo I
d) Catholicism under Popes Gelasius and Gregory the Great
2. The rise of the ecclesiastical elite
C. The Rise of Christian Monasticism
1. The ascetic impulse in early Christianity
2. Eremitic monasticism and cenobitic monasticism
3. The Benedictine rule
III. The Rise of Germanic Kingdoms in the West, ca. 370–530
Gradual and often voluntary transformation of the western provinces into separate Germanic
kingdoms
A. Invasions and Migrations
1. The myths of grand barbarian invasions and the reality of barbarians as settled
agriculturists
2. The Germanic peoples
B. Incorporating the Barbarians
1. TheVisigoths
a) Long relationship with Rome
b) Migrations and sacking of Rome
c) Visigoth kingdom in Gaul
2. Roman alliance and war with the Huns
C. More Kingdoms: The End of Direct Roman Rule in the West
1. Abandonment of Roman Britain
2. Removal of western Roman emperor
3. Foundation and stability of the Frankish kingdom
4. Ephemeral Germanic kingdoms
5. The Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy
6. Reasons for the end of Roman government in the West
D. Old and New in the West
1. The practice and theory of Germanic kingship
2. Counts, local authorities, and vestiges of Roman law and language
IV. The Roman Empire in the East, 395–565
The reality of a divided empire and an independent west contradicted theories of a united empire
held in the populous, urbanized, prosperous east.
A. Constantinople and Its Rulers
1. Constantinople as the New Rome
2. Theodosius II and the Law Code of 438
B. Emperor Justinian (R. 527–565)

Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


32 Chapter 7: The World of Late Antiquity, 284–ca. 600

1. Life and Theodora


2. Political reforms and the Corpus Iuris Civilis
3. Campaigns to reunify the empire
4. Efforts to foster religious consensus
5. Hagia Sophia
V. Society and Culture in Late Antiquity
Continuities in daily life coupled with political transformations, decline of secular culture, and the
vitality of Christianity
A. Social Hierarchies and Realities
1. Social change and social continuity
2. The ideals of otium, amicitia, and officium
3. Privatization of public authority in the West
4. Farmers and coloni
5. The role of women in a post-Roman, Christian world
6. Christianity’s transformation of daily life
B. The Quest for a Catholic Tradition
1. The acceptance of the Nicene Creed
2. Emergence of Latin, Orthodox, Coptic, and Jacobite churches
3. Standardization of the Christian canon and creed
a) Jerome’s Vulgate Bible
b) The Church Fathers
4. Boethius and the synthesis of the classical and the Christian
C. Saint Augustine and the Christian Tradition
1. The influence and stature of Augustine of Hippo
2. Original sin and faith
3. Subordinating classical humanism to religious concerns
a) The City of God
b) Cassiodorus

LECTURE TOPICS
1. The new character of the Late Roman Empire
2. The East/West split of the Roman Empire and its historical impact
3. Emperor Constantine, the Christianization of the Roman Empire, and the Romanization of
Christianity
4. The emerging doctrines of the early Christian Church
5. The evolution of the Christian Bible through Late Antiquity
6. The changing position of women during the late Roman Empire and the early Christian Church
7. The Germanic people and their assimilation into Roman culture and political traditions
8. The decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the West
9. Changing attitudes towards the world in Late Antiquity and the rise of monasticism and the
Christian Church in the Eastern Roman Empire
10. Greco-Roman civilization versus the Judeo-Christian tradition

SUGGESTED READINGS
1. Bames, T.D., Constantine and Eusebius, 1981.

Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


Chapter 7: The World of Late Antiquity, 284–ca. 600 33

2. Baynes, Norman H., Constantine the Great and the Christian Church, 1975.
3. Brown, Peter, The World of Late Antiquity, 1989
4. Cameron, Averil, The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity, 1993.
5. Clark, Gillian, Women in Late Antiquity: Pagan and Christian Lifestyles, 1993.
6. Evans, J.A.S., The Emperor Justinian and the Byzantine Empire, 2005.
7. Goffart, W., Barbarians and Romans, 1980.
8. James, Edward, The Franks, 1988.
9. Jones, M.E., The End of Roman Britain, 1996.
10. MacMullen, Ramsey, Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries, 1999.
11. Moorhead, John, The Roman Empire Divided, 400–700, 2001.
12. Valantasis, Richard, ed., Religions of Late Antiquity in Practice, 2006.
13. Wolfram, Henry, History of the Goths, 1990.

RESEARCH/CLASSROOM DEBATE/DISCUSSION TOPICS


1. What are some of the most important legacies of the Roman Empire in the West?
2. How did Roman secular structures and ideas influence Christianity, and how did Christianity
transform Roman life?
3. Is it historically accurate to talk about “the fall of the Roman Empire”? Why or why not?
4. How did the changes of Late Antiquity affect various groups: pagan and Christian, provincial and
central, Roman and barbarian, rich and poor? Who gained, who did not, and how?
5. Why did the Eastern Empire survive longer than the Western one?
6. Was there anything in Christianity itself that led to the problem of heresy and the appeal of
monasticism? How did Christianity’s “legalization” affect these?
7. Did the conversion of Emperor Constantine extend the life of the Roman Empire or lead to its
destruction?
8. Compare and contrast either the emerging Visigothic or Frankish kingdoms with the former
Western Roman Empire.
9. Divide the class into six groups with each group taking on the identity of one heresy: Arianism,
Monophysitism, Donatism, Pelagianism, Nestorianism, Marcionism, and Manichaeanism. Ask
the students to debate why their heresy would make Christianity a more compelling faith.
10. Either assign a research paper or organize a classroom debate on the impact of Christians willing
to die for their faith on the fate of the Roman Empire.
11. Have the students research and write a paper detailing how Justinian’s legal reforms are embodied
in the United States Constitution.
12. Either assign a research paper or organize a classroom debate on how the Gnostic gospels affected
the content of the New Testament gospels.
13. Have the students research and write a paper detailing how the emergence of sainthood and saints
affected the early Christian Church.

Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


34 Chapter 7: The World of Late Antiquity, 284–ca. 600

14. Have the students research and write a paper explaining why the Western Roman Empire
collapsed, while the Eastern Roman Empire continued to thrive.

RESOURCES
1. Atilla the Hun, The History Channel, 2004.
2. The Barbarians, The History Channel, 2 DVDs, 2007.
3. Constantine: The Christian Emperor, A&E Home Video, 45 minutes, 1997.
4. The End of Rome, the Birth of Europe, Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 52 minutes, 2003.
5. The Fall of the Roman Empire, feature film (1964), DVD, 2008.
6. The Gnostic Gospels, www.gnosis.org.
7. Justinian: The Last of the Romans, A&E Home Video, 1997.
8. Rome: The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, episodes 9) “The Soldiers’ Emperor,” 10)
“Constantine the Great,” 11) “The Barbarian General,” 12) “The Puppet Master,” and 13) “The
Last Emperor,” The History Channel, 4 DVDs, 2008.
9. Storm over Europe, the Huns are Coming, Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 52 minutes,
2003.
10. Two Thousand Years: the History of Christianity, Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 10
DVDs, 47 minutes each, 2002.
11. Weber, Eugen. “The Rise of the Church,” “The Decline of Rome,” and “The Fall of Rome,” The
Western Tradition, WGBH Boston, 1989.

Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.


Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
THE STONE FLEET.

Notwithstanding all the activity and watchfulness of the


blockading vessels off the Southern coast, many instances were
exultingly heralded by the Southern press, as well as in Europe, of
the successful running of the blockade by vessels bound both
outward and inward. The logic of these occurrences was very simple
on the part of the secessionists and their sympathizers. The frequent
evasion of the blockade proved that it was “inefficient” on the part of
the Federal government, and therefore not only to be disregarded,
but officially declared by foreign governments to be incomplete, and
practically null and void. This declaration was expected to be
sufficient to warrant the free movements of commerce, and any
attempt to interfere on the part of the United States would be a
challenge for the intervention of England and France.
The repeated instances of vessels escaping rendered it an
imperative necessity for the government to adopt some measure that
would, if possible, prevent their recurrence at the principal ports of
the South. For this purpose it was determined to close several of the
harbors by placing obstructions in the channels. Most of the harbors
of the Southern coast, in consequence of the deltas, and numerous
islands at their entrances, have several channels, through which
vessels of light draft may pass, while those of the heaviest draft are
confined to one principal channel. This is the case in the approach to
both Charleston and Savannah. The obstructing of these two
principal channels was therefore assigned for the month of
December.
For this purpose a number of old whaling vessels were purchased
at New Bedford and New London, freighted with granite from the
Bay State, and taken to Port Royal as a rendezvous, whence they
were to be convoyed to their destination. The people of Savannah,
after the capture of Port Royal and Beaufort, anticipating the
approach of the Federal fleet, volunteered the work on their own
behalf and blockaded their own port by similar means. The fleet was
therefore at liberty to repair to Charleston, and within sight of the
walls of Sumter, to shut out the rebellious people of that city from the
ocean.
The “Stone Fleet” sailed from Port Royal on the 18th of December,
accompanied by the steamers Cahawba, Philadelphia and Ericsson,
to tow and assist, the whole convoyed by the Mohican, Captain
Gordon, the Ottawa, Captain Stevens, and Pocahontas, Captain
Balch.
The fleet arrived off Charleston harbor the next day and
preparations were made for sinking them in their places. Each of the
weather-beaten and storm-tossed old vessels that had so long borne
the stars and stripes in every latitude, were now to make a stubborn
protest against treason by keeping watch at the very door of its birth-
place. They were furnished with ingenious contrivances and plugs,
the withdrawal of which would allow the water to flow in and sink
them on the floor of the channel.
The sinking of the fleet was intrusted to Captain Charles H. Davis,
formerly on the Coast Survey, and ever since more or less intimately
connected with it. It is remarkable that when, in 1851, an
appropriation was made by the Federal Government for the
improvement of Charleston harbor, and, at the request of South
Carolina, a commission of army and navy officers was appointed to
superintend the work, Captain Davis was one of the commission, and
for three or four years was engaged in these operations. The present
attempt was of somewhat different character. The entrance by the
main ship channel runs from the bar to Fort Sumter, six miles, nearly
south and north. The city is three miles beyond, bearing about N. W.
The other channels are Sanford’s, Swash, the North, and Maffit’s, or
Sullivan’s Island, which need not to be particularly described. Only
the latter is practicable for vessels of any draught, but all serve more
or less to empty the waters discharged by the Ashley and Cooper
rivers. Over the bar, at the entrance of the main ship channel, is a
narrow passage, through which vessels may carry eleven feet at low
water; about seventeen at high water. The plan of Captain Davis for
closing the harbor proceeded on the following principles:
The obstructions were to be placed on both sides of the crest of the
bar, so that the same forces which created the bar might be relied on
to keep them in their places.
The bar was not to be obstructed entirely; for natural forces would
soon open a new passage, since the rivers must discharge themselves
by some outlet; but to be only partially obstructed, so that, while this
channel was ruined, no old one, like Swash or Sanford, should be
improved, or a new one formed.
The vessels were so placed that on the channel course it would be
difficult to draw a line through any part of it that would not be
intercepted by one of them. A ship, therefore, endeavoring to make
her way out or in could not, by taking the bearings of any point of
departure, as she could not sail on any straight line.
The vessels were placed checkerwise, at some distance from each
other, so as to create an artificial unevenness of the bottom, remotely
resembling Hell Gate and Holmes’s Hole, which unevenness would
give rise to eddies, counter-currents and whirlpools, adding so
seriously to the difficulties of navigation that it could only be
practicable by steamers, or with a very commanding breeze.
The execution of this plan was begun by buoying out the channel
and circumscribing within four points the space where the vessels
were all to be sunk, as follows:
*
S. W. * THE BAR. * N. E.
*

The distance between the points from S. W. to N. E. is about an


eighth of a mile; the breadth perhaps half as much. It was no part of
the plan to build a wall of ships across, but to drop them at a little
distance from each other, on the principles above stated, closing the
channel to navigation, but leaving it open to the water.
Work was resumed on Friday morning, the 20th, the Ottawa and
Pocahontas bringing the ships to their stations. The placing of them
was an operation of considerable nicety, especially as some of the
vessels were so deep as to be with difficulty dragged on the bar,
except at high water. A graver hindrance to their exact location was
found in the imperfection of the arrangement for sinking, several of
the ships remaining afloat so long after the plug was knocked out,
that they swung out of position. They were, nevertheless, finally
placed very nearly according to the plan. Great credit was earned by
Mr. Bradbury and Mr. Godfrey for the successful execution of so
difficult an undertaking. The last ship, the Archer, closed the only
remaining gap, and the manner in which Mr. Bradbury took her in
with the Pocahontas and then extricated the latter from her perilous
position, filled the fleet with admiration for his skillful seamanship
and cool daring. By half-past ten the last plug was drawn, and every
ship of the sixteen was either sunk or sinking.
One of the vessels, the Robin Hood, with upright masts, stood
erect, in water too shallow to submerge her. As evening drew near
she was set on fire, and in a little time the evening sky was lighted up
with the pyrotechnic display, while the inhabitants of Charleston, the
garrison of Fort Moultrie, and the surroundings, were compelled to
look on and see the temporary completion of the blockade they had
so long derided and defied.
This event provoked loud and vindictive complaints and assaults
in France and England, and the measure was denounced as an
outrage on civilization, and a sufficient warrant for interference in
the war. But an examination of the historical precedents afforded by
British practice closed the mouths of the declaimers in Parliament as
well as through the press, and once more American practice was
permitted to pass, justified by the verdict of opinion as well as of
illustrious example.
BATTLE OF CAMP ALLEGHANY, W.
VIRGINIA.

December 13, 1861.

On Thursday morning, December 12th, Brigadier-General R. H.


Milroy started from his headquarters on Cheat Mountain Summit,
with fifteen hundred men, with the design of attacking a rebel camp
on the Alleghany mountains, twenty-five miles distant. The column
started at eight o’clock, and after a fatiguing day’s march arrived, at
eight P. M., at the old Camp Bartow, on the Greenbrier river, the
scene of General Reynolds’ rencontre on the 3d of October previous.
Here the troops rested until eleven P. M., when the General divided
his force into two columns, with the intention of reaching the
enemy’s camp on the summit of the mountain, about eight and a half
miles distant, from two opposite points, at four o’clock, A. M., of the
13th.
The first division, consisting of detachments from the Ninth
Indiana, Colonel Moody, and Second Virginia, Major Owens, about
one thousand strong, took up its march on the old Greenbank road to
attack the enemy on the left.
The second division consisted of detachments from the Thirteenth
Indiana, Twenty-fifth and Thirty-second Ohio, and Bracken Cavalry,
under Major Dobbs, Colonel J. A. Jones, Captain Hamilton and
Captain Bracken. Brigadier-General Reynolds and his staff
conducted this division, numerically about the same as the first
division. This column took the Staunton pike, and marched
cautiously until they came in sight of the enemy’s camp, where, after
throwing out more skirmishers, the division left the road and
commenced to ascend the mountain to the enemy’s right. After
driving in some of the hostile pickets they reached the summit in
good order. The enemy were fully prepared to receive them. The fight
on the enemy’s right commenced about twenty minutes after
daylight.
Lieutenant McDonald, of General Reynolds’ staff, with one
company of the Thirteenth Indiana, formed the line of battle, placing
the Twenty-fifth Ohio on his left, part of the Thirteenth Indiana on
their left, and part of the Thirty-second Ohio on their left. The enemy
immediately advanced to attack the Federal troops, but after a few
rounds retreated in great confusion, leaving their dead and wounded.
Colonel Moody’s division not appearing to attack the enemy on the
left, the rebels seeing the inferior force opposed to them, were again
encouraged to advance toward their assailants, which they did with a
far superior force, pouring in their fire with vigor. Some of the
Federals now commenced falling to the rear, all along the line; but
Captains Charlesworth and Crowe, of the Twenty-fifth Ohio,
Lieutenant McDonald, Captains Myers and Newland, of the
Thirteenth Indiana, and Hamilton, of the Thirty-second Ohio, rallied
them, and brought them into line in a few moments. The enemy
again fell back and attempted to turn their right flank, but was
immediately met and repulsed. The fortunes of the day appeared to
alternate between the respective armies for three hours, the Federals
holding out bravely against the superior numbers of the enemy, who
were enabled to concentrate their entire army of two thousand men
and four or five pieces of artillery against this comparatively small
force.
Colonel Moody’s force not having then been heard from, Colonel
Jones, who had charge of the division now in action, after exhausting
his ammunition, withdrew his men from the field.
Almost at this juncture, Colonel Moody’s command, which had
been detained by obstructions placed in the road over which they
were compelled to pass, arrived, and attacked the enemy vigorously
on his left, and in turn maintained an obstinate contest, unaided,
against the entire rebel command, which they did with much courage
and skill, until three o’clock, P. M., when they too were compelled to
retire before the superior force of their opponents.
Though thwarted in his plan of attack by the unexpected
obstructions which Colonel Moody’s division had to encounter,
General Milroy was far from being disconcerted by the result. The
men had evinced a high order of courage, and the divisions had
alternately maintained an obstinate fight against an army of nearly
three times their number.
The official report of the casualties on the Federal side gives the
number of killed, twenty; wounded, one hundred and seven; missing,
ten. The rebel loss is acknowledged by the Richmond Enquirer to
have been about the same.
BATTLE AT MUNFORDSVILLE, KY.

December 17, 1861.

Colonel Willich, with the Thirty-second Indiana, a regiment


composed of Germans, occupying an advance post of General
McCook’s division of the Federal army in Kentucky, was attacked on
the 17th of December, by three regiments of Arkansas infantry,
Colonel Terry’s Texan Rangers, and Major Phifer’s cavalry, and also
an artillery company, with four pieces, the whole under the
command of General T. C. Hindman.
Colonel Willich’s regiment was guarding a new bridge built by the
Federal troops over Green river, at Rowlett’s Station, on the
Louisville and Nashville railroad, a temporary substitute for the
handsome iron structure which had been destroyed by the rebels, in
front of Mumfordsville. A picket guard of two companies had been
thrown across the river on the south side, occupying a wide area of
cleared ground, which was skirted by forests, from whence the rebels
attempted to surprise and capture them.
The second company, Captain Glass, was acting in detached
squads as pickets in the woods on the right flank, and were attacked
in detail by the enemy’s skirmishers. The pickets made a gallant
defence, and fell back slowly and in good order on their supports.
The alarm in the mean time having been given to the other
companies on the north side of the river, they started in “double-
quick” over the bridge, crossed the hill on the opposite side, and
rushed with fierce haste into the woods whence the firing proceeded,
led on by Lieutenant-Colonel Treba, Colonel Willich at the time
being necessarily at headquarters. A portion of the third company,
under Lieutenant Sachs, occupied a covered position on the left
flank, where they were now attacked by the advancing enemy.
Unable to restrain the ardor of his men, the Lieutenant boldly left his
sheltered position and attacked the rebels in the open field; but fierce
as his onset was, the disparity of numbers proved too greatly against
him, and his little band would have inevitably been cut to pieces but
for the timely arrival of Lieutenant-Colonel Treba, with the main
body of the regiment. He sent the sixth, seventh and tenth companies
to support the second company on the right, and the first, fifth,
eighth and ninth companies to support the third company on the left
flank. At the very first rush of the skirmishers, the enemy were
thrown into confusion, and driven back at all points.
Then the most severe and bloody part of the battle commenced.
With terrible ferocity Colonel Terry’s regiment of Texas Rangers
poured in black masses of cavalry upon the Union skirmishers along
the whole line. They rode up within fifteen or twenty yards, some
even in the very midst of the men, and commenced a terrible fire
from their carbines and revolvers. At their first onset, it seemed as if
every one of the men would be destroyed. But here it was that the
veteran coolness and bravery of the Union troops shone forth. They
allowed the enemy to come almost as near as he chose, and then
poured a deadly fire upon him, which shook the entire line. Upon the
right flank of the third company’s position, by order of Adjutant
Schmidt, the eighth company was led forth by Lieutenants Kappel
and Levy; upon the left, Lieutenant-Colonel Treba advanced with the
ninth company; both attacked the enemy in close skirmishers’ line,
drove him back, and rescued the rest of the heroic little band under
Lieutenant Sachs. He himself and a number of his men were,
however, already killed, though they had made the enemy pay dearly
for their lives.
Now the artillery of the enemy was brought to bear upon the
Union men. Their fire, balls and shrapnell, was well directed, but
fortunately not very fatal. Only a few of the men were wounded by
splinters of balls.
While this was going on upon the left wing, the conflict on the
right was no less severe. The second, sixth and tenth companies were
scattered as skirmishers, while the seventh was drawn up in
company column for their support. The sixth company had taken
position behind a fence. The Rangers galloped up to them in close
line, and commenced firing from rifles and revolvers. Their fire was
steadily returned by the sixth, which held them in check till a part of
them got behind the fence, when the skirmishers fell back behind the
seventh, drawn up in a square. Now a fearful conflict ensued. A
whole battalion of Rangers, fully two hundred strong, bore down
upon the little band of not more than fifty. Upon the front and left
flank of the square they rushed, with a fierce attempt to trample
down the squad before them.
Captain Welschbellich allowed them to come within a distance of
seventy yards, then fired a volley, which staggered and sent them
back. But immediately afterward they reformed and again rushed
fiercely upon the front and both flanks of the square. They seemed
frantic with rage over the successful resistance offered to them, and
this time many of their band rode up to the points of the bayonets.
But another well-aimed volley emptied a number of saddles, and sent
back the whole mass which a moment before had threatened certain
destruction to Captain Welschbellich’s company. A few bayonet
thrusts and scattering shots brought down those who had ventured
to the front. This second repulse had a marked effect. Yet a third
attack was made, much less determined and fierce than the two first,
though it was more disastrous to the enemy. During this third attack
it was that Colonel Terry, the commander of the Rangers, was killed.
Upon his fall, the whole column broke and fled in wild dismay.
But in place of the Rangers, a whole regiment of infantry,
accompanied by their band of music, now marched against the
“invincible square.” Before this overpowering force Captain
Welschbellich deemed it prudent to retire, and united with the
second, sixth and tenth companies again.
About this time it was that Colonel Willich, with his battle horse in
a foam, arrived upon the field. He saw the right wing retiring, and
the entire infantry of the enemy, two regiments, coming on, thus
endangering the retreat of the left wing. He therefore ordered the
signal for “retiring slowly” to be given, and collected the companies.
The second company, under Captain Glass, and the seventh, under
Captain Welschbellich, were the first who took their places in the line
of battle of the regiment.
About this time a manœuvre was executed by the first company,
under Captain Erdemeyer, which decided the day. When the battle
commenced, and the impression prevailed that the Unionists were
fighting cavalry alone, Lieutenant-Colonel Treba had detached this
company to take a position and attack the flank of the enemy. When
the first company arrived at the place of destination, Captain
Erdemeyer found that the enemy had likewise a large force of
infantry and artillery, to attack which would have been certain
destruction to his company. He therefore kept his covered position
until the time mentioned. Then, finding the larger part of the
infantry drawn to another part of the field, he ordered an advance.
His appearance was the signal of a general retreat of the enemy. The
rest of the cavalry fled, the artillery retired in haste, and the infantry
followed as quickly.
The Union loss was eleven killed, twenty wounded, and five
missing. The enemy left a large number of killed on the field, and
among their dead was the body of Colonel Terry. The rebel loss was
thirty-three killed and sixty wounded.
CAPTURE OF REBEL RECRUITS AT
MILFORD, MO.

On the eighteenth of December, Brigadier-General Pope,


commanding the Federal troops in the central district of Missouri,
made a brilliant and successful movement, which resulted in the
capture of a considerable number of the enemy.

It will be recollected that the withdrawal of the Federal troops


from Springfield and the leading points of both central and southern
Missouri, had given free scope to the action of the enemy. Seditious
proclamations had been issued by Ex-Governor Jackson and General
Price, and had been thoroughly circulated. Enlisting agents, also, had
been very active, and some two thousand recruits, mostly drawn
from the northern counties, were proceeding by slow stages
southward, to unite with the main body under General Price.
A well laid plan was matured by Generals Halleck and Pope to
capture these reinforcements; and two brigades of General Pope’s
division were dispatched without exciting any suspicion as to their
destination, to intercept the enemy on their march. The brigades
were constituted as follows:
First Brigade, Acting Brigadier-General Steele.—Twenty-seventh
regiment Ohio Volunteers, Colonel Kennett; Twenty-second
regiment Indiana Volunteers, Colonel Hendricks; First regiment
Kansas Volunteers, Colonel Thayer; one battery First Missouri
Volunteers, Lieutenant Marr; four companies regular cavalry,
Colonel Amory.
Second Brigade, Acting Brigadier-General Jeff. C. Davis.—
Eighteenth regiment Indiana Volunteers, Colonel Patterson; Eighth
regiment Indiana Volunteers, Colonel Benton; Twenty-fourth
regiment Indiana Volunteers, Lieutenant ——; one battery First
Missouri Artillery, Lieutenant Klaus; one squadron First Iowa
Cavalry, Major Torrence.
The whole was under the immediate command of General Pope.
The four companies of regular cavalry were the fragments of the
original companies, B, C, D, and E, and numbered but a little over a
hundred men. They were under the command of Captain Crittenden,
of the regular army, son of Hon. John J. Crittenden.
The command started from Sedalia on Sunday, the 15th, and
encamped at night eleven miles distant on the road to Clinton. The
next day they marched twenty-six miles, and at sunset arrived at
Shawnee Mound, in Henry county. Here reports of various
companies of rebels began to come in from residents and from Union
scouts. One company of near five hundred was heard of at a point
about twelve miles north-west, and several smaller bodies directly
south, from Clinton to Butler. General Pope then dispatched his
whole available force of cavalry, nearly seven hundred, before they
had secured three hours’ rest, after the five hundred near
Morristown. The cavalry under Lieutenant-Colonel Brown, of the
Seventh Missouri Volunteers, pushed on all night, and arriving at the
rebel camp they found it vacated. The enemy had received warning
and fled precipitately, leaving numerous evidences of haste. The
cavalry, notwithstanding their forty miles’ continuous march, pushed
on after the fleeing rebels till they reached Rose Hill, picking up
some twenty or thirty stragglers on the road. At Rose Hill the rebels
separated into several squads, some taking the road west, others
taking the south route to Butler, and Colonel Brown had no other
alternative than to rest his exhausted horses, and finally to make his
way back to the main column next day, near Warrensburg. He
brought in nearly one hundred prisoners.
General Pope in the meantime kept advancing in a direction west
of north to Chilhowee, a most important point, being the centre of
numerous cross-roads. This was near the site of the rebel camp just
referred to, and here the pickets brought in some few straggling men
who were bound for Price’s army. At Chilhowee they heard of a rebel
force of 1,800 from the north, and of the scouring of the country
south of Clinton by Major Hubbard, of the First Missouri Cavalry.
The direction of the Union forces was at once east, toward
Warrenburg. That night (Wednesday) they encamped two and a half
miles west of Warrenburg. The reports were confirmed by a loyal
man, who was on his way to give the information. He gave their
location as at Kilpatrick’s mill, on the Clear fork of Blackwater Creek.
(Milford is the post-office name.) Early on Thursday morning they
started in the direction of Knob Noster, being directly south of the
enemy. Colonel Merrill’s Horse was ordered to take the direct road
running parallel with the course of the Blackwater, so as to intercept
them in case they took a western course.
The brigade of Colonel Davis was placed in the advance, with
orders to keep well up to the cavalry, a section of artillery being ready
to support the cavalry upon a minute’s warning. General Pope, with
the main body, kept due west for Knob Noster, ready to come up if
necessary. Colonel Davis, finding that the enemy was still in camp at
Milford, diverged to the left, and put the regular cavalry, under
Lieutenant Amory, in the advance, the four companies of the First
Iowa Cavalry, under Major Torrence, being next. On approaching the
mill, the men discovered that the rebels were posted on the opposite
side of the bridge, across the dam. Finding that it would be
dangerous to charge the bridge mounted, Lieutenant Amory ordered
the men to dismount and skirmish with pistols and sabres, as
infantry, the fourth man holding the horses of the other three. This
they instantly did, and advanced under the lead of Lieutenant
Gordon, of Company D. Some ineffectual skirmishing took place
between the regulars, who were sheltered behind a barn on the south
of the creek, and the rebels, who were on the north side. During this
interval the Iowa Cavalry filed off to the left, in the attempt to cross
the stream higher up, but after vainly traversing its steep sides and
muddy bottom for a mile, returned to find Lieutenant Amory
charging across the bridge, the rebels having deserted it upon seeing
Colonel Davis, with the artillery advancing. Lieutenant Amory
followed the road, thinking that the rebels might flee to the north.
Lieutenant Gordon immediately dashed after some of the scattering
fugitives through the wood, and after penetrating a few rods,
received a volley from the enemy, whom he just then discovered
formed in line. He instantly formed in line, and ordered his men to
fire.
The cavalry, under Major Torrence, and the regulars, under
Lieutenant Amory, had in the mean time reached the flank and rear
of another body of the enemy, who was thus enclosed on one side by
a long marsh, on the other by a deep and muddy mill-pond, and on
the third by our cavalry. Colonel Davis had by this time come up in
the rear. A white flag was displayed, and Colonel Alexander, a young
man, came forward and asked if thirty minutes would be allowed
them for consultation. Colonel Davis’s answer was “that as night was
closing in, that was too long.” Colonel A. then asked if he would be
allowed to go to headquarters and bring back the answer of the
commander of the corps, Colonel Robinson. Permission being
granted, he returned in about five minutes, with the response that
“they would be obliged to surrender as prisoners of war.” The arms
were stacked, and the men formed in line and marched between two
files of infantry, the Eighteenth and Twenty-fourth Illinois, with all
the honors of war. Colonel Davis immediately sent dispatches to
General Pope announcing his success, and as night was closing
around, the arms were hastily stowed in wagons, and the Federal
troops commenced the march for camp. One thousand guns of all
kinds were captured, with a full supply of clothing and provision.
One of the enemy was killed, and several wounded. Two Federals
were killed and eight wounded.
Dispatches were received Thursday evening from General Halleck
ordering the Union troops to fall back to Sedalia. General Pope,
therefore, accompanied with the victors as an escort, and the
wounded men, started and made the journey (twenty miles) by two
o’clock.
Following close upon them was the brigade of Colonel Hovey, of
the Twenty-fourth Indiana, who had been dispatched with two
regiments, a battery, and two squadrons of the First Missouri
Cavalry, on the Clinton road some twelve miles from Sedalia, where
the cavalry, under Major Hubbard, some two hundred and fifty in
number, made a reconnoissance of the country extending westward
and southward, as far as the Grand river, beyond Clinton. Here they
came upon the pickets of General Rains, who, with an advanced
cavalry force was guarding the Grand river. The pickets were driven
in, one shot, about sixty prisoners taken within the lines of General
Rains, and a mill near Clinton burned.
The detachment of cavalry under Lieutenant-Colonel Brown also
burned a mill near Johnstown, on the borders of Bates county. His
force travelled two hundred and fifty miles in six days.
Colonel Hovey, of the Twenty-fourth Indiana, effected a successful
ruse, whereby he succeeded in making a capture of six prisoners and
two hundred bushels of corn meal. He was ordered by General
Turner to reconnoitre with about a hundred men on the road to
Clinton. He left on Monday morning, taking Fairview and Siseonville
on his route. Learning on Tuesday that a party of the enemy was
encamped at a mill near Chapel Hill, he adopted a scheme for
capturing the whole of them next day.
He ordered his men into the wagons, and had them drawn, with
the exception of a small guard, resembling a provision train. As they
approached Hall’s store the rebels appeared in the brush ready to
seize the train. One of his officers rode around a hill to see the
whereabouts of the party, when he encountered a mounted rebel,
who raised his shot-gun, when he was brought to the ground by a
revolver. Colonel Hovey then ordered his men to emerge from their
concealment, and a search was made for the enemy. One of them was
wounded in the fray, and one killed, two balls lodging in his neck. A
few horses and mules were captured, some of which were branded U.
S. The mill was afterward burned, and the meal put in Hovey’s
wagons.
The total number of prisoners taken exceeded sixteen hundred.
The march was accomplished in exceeding cold weather, and many
of the troops suffered severely.
BATTLE OF DRANESVILLE, VA.

December 20, 1861.

In the month of December, the Pennsylvania reserve regiments,


under the command of Major-General McCall, constituted the right
wing of the great Potomac army. The division occupied an extensive
range of country, beyond Langley’s church and tavern, the
encampments stretching toward Lewinsville. Beyond this, north-
westwardly, an open country extended, in the direction of Leesburg,
some twelve or fifteen miles, unoccupied by hostile forces. Midway
was the village of Dranesville, a small town, almost deserted.
It having been determined to send a foraging party to take
possession of a quantity of hay, oats and provender known to be in
this neighborhood, the brigade of General E. O. C. Ord, the third of
McCall’s division, was assigned to the duty.
The force consisted of the Sixth regiment, Colonel W. W. Rickets;
Ninth, Colonel C. F. Jackson; Tenth, Colonel John S. McCalmont;
Twelfth, Colonel John H. Taggart. The regiment of riflemen known
as the Bucktails, Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas L. Kane; a battery of
two twenty-four-pounders and two twelve-pounders, commanded by
Captain Easton, and a detachment of cavalry from Colonel Bayard’s
regiment, also accompanied the expedition. Each regiment was
strongly represented, and there were about four thousand men in the
expedition. The order for march was received on Thursday evening,
the men being directed to take with them one day’s rations. The
morning was clear, and rather cold, with a slight mist around the
sun, and a thin layer of frost whitening the road and coating the
grass. The Bucktails were assigned the advance of the infantry
column, the cavalry preceding as scouts, and battery being in reserve.
Colonel Taggart’s regiment brought up the rear. A number of teams
were also in company. Each regiment had two companies of flankers
thrown out, on either side of the column, to scour the woods, search
the thickets, and prevent the column from falling into an ambuscade.
They halted at Difficult Creek, a narrow stream, with a heavy stone
bridge. The stream is fordable, the average width being thirty feet.
The march continued. The day became warm, the sky soft and
clear, as the soldiers approached Dranesville. About noon the
flanking companies of the Twelfth regiment came in and reported
that a large body of rebels could be seen from a neighboring hill. At
another part of the line shots were exchanged between the hidden
enemy and the Union flanking companies. Instantly a line of battle
was formed, but no enemy appeared, and the firing ceased.
The delay was that of a few minutes. The Union men were anxious,
expectant, and enthusiastic. Suddenly a fire was opened upon our
line from a wood or thicket nearly a mile distant. The enemy’s
battery contained six guns, and was placed in a road skirting the
wood, and sheltered by it. Their guns were of large calibre, and they
fired shells. At first they passed over the column and exploded
beyond. The rebel artillerymen discovered this, altered their range,
and their shells fell short. In the mean time, Easton’s battery was
brought into position on the side of an elevation in front of the
Twelfth regiment, which was in line of battle. General Ord himself
sighted the guns, and a sharp fire was opened upon the enemy.
The Union infantry laid down on their arms, awaiting the orders of
their superior officers. At length the fire of the enemy began to be
irregular and uncertain, proving that they either intended to retreat
or change position. At this time Colonel Kane, who was on the right
of the column, discovered the infantry of the enemy passing through
an open clearing near the wood, evidently intending a flank
movement, or designing to occupy a brick house within a hundred
yards of his regiment. He sent a detachment of twenty men, under
command of Lieutenant Rice, to take the house, which they did, and,
under shelter of its walls, opened fire upon the advancing regiments.
Having bestowed the family found in this house safely in the cellar,
the small garrison demolished the windows and attacked the enemy,
which was afterwards discovered to be an Alabama regiment, under
command of Colonel John H. Forney; a Kentucky regiment,
commanded by Colonel Tom Taylor; and a South Carolina regiment.
They took the shelter of underbrush, and, under the supposition that
the house was filled by Union troops, opened a heavy fire upon it,
supported by two small guns, which threw shot and shell upon it.
They advanced nearer and nearer every volley, the brave Union
riflemen firing rapidly and with great effect. Colonel Kane was
among them all the time, inspiring them with his example. They fell
on the ground, they loaded their pieces, rising suddenly, taking
deliberate aim, and lying down to load again. The burden of the
enemy’s fire was directed at the house, and it was shattered and
pierced, the roof being broken, and some of the walls giving way.
The Federal fire was so terrific that the enemy fell back from the
advanced position they had assumed, abandoned their flanking
manœuvre, and retreated to the woods under cover of their battery,
which kept up an irregular and uncertain fire. The Bucktails
advanced in pursuit. As they rose to follow, Colonel Kane, who was
leading them, was wounded. He fell, but instantly arose, and
continued to advance. In the mean time General Ord ordered the line
to charge and take the battery. The order was given to the Twelfth
regiment, Colonel John H. Taggart commanding. It was received
with a cheer by the men, and they advanced in the direction of the
unseen battery. They proceeded to the edge of the wood and entered,
keeping the line as straight and precise as on dress parade. The wood
was dense, and so impenetrable that the men found it difficult to
proceed. Colonel Taggart threw his scabbard away and preceded his
men with his drawn sword in one hand and his pistol in the other.
They came into an open clearing, only to find that the rebels had
retreated in the most precipitate manner. While the Union troops
were crowding through the woods, the enemy had started along the
Leesburg road, taking their cannon, but leaving their dead and
wounded, and large quantities of arms and ammunition. A single
caisson remained. Their magazine had been struck by a shell, and
exploded with appalling effect. Around it the dead and dying were
heaped in masses—fifteen men and five horses being killed. The
Union men were wild with the enthusiasm of victory, and having
placed the wounded in the houses near by, and chopped the gun-
carriages to splinters, they started in pursuit of the retreating foe.

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