jimwinsor
General of the Army
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Fri Sep 21, 2007 2:51 am

[font="Courier New"][RIGHT]DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
Holly Springs, Ms., Early September 1862[/RIGHT]
His Excellency ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President, &c.:

Dear Sir: Kearney and Williams would be most welcome out here.

I remain, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
[RIGHT]H.W. HALLECK,
Maj. Gen., Commanding[/RIGHT][/font]
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Rafiki
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Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:24 pm

[font="Fixedsys"][RIGHT]Executive Mansion, Washington D.C.,
Late September, 1862[/RIGHT]

To: Generals Sphar and Halleck

Gentlemen,

Our reserves have become somewhat depleted, and we shall be focusing on replenishing them in the next month or so, particularly due to the needs of Rosecrans' forces now returned to Baltimore and of Keyes' corps, recently defeated in Culpeper, VA.

If you have particular needs, please voice them, since they otherwise are likely to go unfulfilled.

Respectfully,
A. Lincoln[/font]
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Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:30 pm

[font="Fixedsys"][RIGHT]War Department, Washington D.C.,
Late September, 1862[/RIGHT]

To: General Halleck

General,

this is to inform you that generals Kearney and Williams have been ordered to report in Nashville, TN. If you have other plans for them, please make sure to notify them; they will be checking for telegrams from you as they travel westwards.

Respectfully,
Edward Stanton[/font]
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Spharv2
Posts: 1540
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Location: Tallahassee, FL

Fri Sep 28, 2007 2:28 am

To: President Lincoln, Sec. of War Stanton

From: HQ - Army of the Potomac, Manassas, VA, September, 1862
Gen. Sphar, Cmdr. US forces - Eastern Theater



Mr. President,

Thank you for the quick action on Meade's promotion. I was able to immediately give him McDowell's corps, and order him South in order to once again attempt to break the siege of Manassas. As can be seen from the skirmishing south of Lee's position, some forces have been detached to deal with the raid, which should hopefully weaken him. I have also sent a force to replace Meade's corps in Alexandria. Gen Banks will command them when they arrive. Around Baltimore, the main part of the new force should be concentrated within the week, and the reorganization can begin. Regardless of the outcome of any battles, Gen. Grant should be arriving in the next week or two, and getting him in command will definitely open things up a bit more.

Basically, aside from the attempt to push Gen. Lee back, things are relatively static at the moment. On our part, it is because our generals refuse to move. On the rebel side, I am unsure what holds them back, though I am thankful for every additional week they give us. In the next few weeks, I pray they discover that they have stalled too long.

I have given Gen. Burnside orders to travel to Memphis to join the Western forces. If Gen. Halleck has a preferred destination, he should be able to easily change his destination along the way.

As for any additional formations, the most important thing for our forces at the moment is replacements being ready to come forward. I believe we currently have the force to achieve our ends. All we lack at the moment is the leadership. But, once we do begin our push, I anticipate large casualties, therefore, keeping up with the losses will be vital.

I am most respectfully your obedient servant,

L.H.Sphar, Gen.

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Spharv2
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Tue Oct 09, 2007 1:37 am

To: President Lincoln, Sec. of War Stanton

From: HQ - Army of the Potomac, Manassas, VA, October, 1862
Gen. Sphar, Cmdr. US forces - Eastern Theater



Mr. President,

Grant has finally arrived and taken command of the Army of the Potomac. The public and Congress may not approve of McClellan's ouster, but Grant is definitely better equipped to handle our main army. Speaking of McClellan, he is now headed north to join McDowell and assist in the forming up of our new force there. I believe that rather than forming an entirely new army, I will create those as corps of the Army of the Potomac, since their actions will necessarily be in concert with the main body of the army. I have already formed the basis of one such corps currently under Daniel Butterfield. In the next two weeks, I should have the remaining formations set up, then it is just a matter of waiting for Fremont's forces to arrive and recuperate. He states that he should arrive within the month.

There is little else to report as of now. Meade will again attempt to break the siege around Manassas, but aside from that, I don't see us being ready to do much more offensively until next campaign season. For next spring, the basis of my plan will be to move the old Army of Virginia back into the Valley. They will attempt to first push Stuart back into the Valley, then all they will need to do is to occupy the attentions of Longstreet and Jackson. If they manage to capture either Winchester or Harper's Ferry, it will be a bonus, but that is not to be their main mission.

Once the rebels attention is occupied in the Valley, Grant will take at least three, possibly four corps of the army and move south, pushing Lee back in front of him. We plan to then detach forces (Possibly one or two corps) to swing south behind the fortifications in Fredricksburg. Once they are in place, they will move on the town. When they do, I will use the final corps to cross the river in front of Fredricksburg to support and occupy the town.

Basically the plan is to separate the two wings of his army as far as possible so we can deal with each part in detail. I have discussed this plan with Grant, and he is in full agreement only on the condition that we ensure the forces to move into the Valley are strong enough to ensure that Jackson and Longstreet cannot break through to get into his rear areas. To ensure this, I would request strong infantry forces be raised this winter to strengthen those forces as much as possible. We do not need them this minute, but at some point through the winter, they would be appreciated.

I am most respectfully your obedient servant,

L.H.Sphar, Gen.

jimwinsor
General of the Army
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Thu Oct 11, 2007 4:49 am

[font="Courier New"][RIGHT]DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
Memphis, Tn., Early October 1862[/RIGHT]
HON. EDWIN McMASTERS STANTON, Secretary of War:

So as to guide you in deciding what new forces to raise, here is a status report on the location and condition of the various divisional commands in the West, along with requisition requests to bring each to full TO&E strengt:.

1) Wallace's Division - St. Louis, Mo.: Resting and refitting. Needs one sharpshooter regiment.

2) Prentiss' Division - Cairo, Il.: Resting and refitting. No needs, at full TO&E.

3) Hurlbut's Division - Memphis, Tn.: Sent to Memphis for resting and refitting. Could use one new infantry regiment.

4) Kearny's Division - Decatur, Al.: Ordered to occupy Decatur. Could use one new infantry regiment.

5) Curtis' Division - Mercer Cty, Ky.: Sent on "hearts and minds" operation to reestablish rail control to Lexington, Ky.. Badly understrength and in need of replacements; needs three infantry regiments and four artillery batteries before it will be fit for combat duty.

6) Woods' Division - Madison Cty, Al.: Sent to occupy Madison Cty. Needs one artillery battery.

7) McPherson's Division - Jackson Cty, Al.: Sent to occupy Jackson Cty. No needs, at full TO&E.

8) McCook's Division - Jackson Cty, Al.: Sent to occupy Jackson Cty. Needs one artillery battery.

9) King's Division - Bolivar, Ms.: Defending depot at Bolivar. Needs one sharpshooter regiment.

10) Granger's Division - Bolivar, Ms.: Resting. Needs one infantry and one sharpshooter regiment.

11) Sigel's Division - Argentia Cty, Ar.: Sent to occupy Argentia Cty. Needs one infantry and one sharpshooter regiment, plus one artillery battery.

12) Sherman's Division - Little Rock, Ar.: Resting. Needs one sharpshooter regiment.

13) Davis' Divison - Little Rock, Ar.: Defending Little Rock. Needs four artillery batteries.

14) Asboth's Division (planned) - Bolivar, Ms.: Needs two infantry and one sharpshooter regiments, plus 3 artillery batteries.

Total requisition needs for the department, for divisional TO&E requests are thus: 9 infantry regiments, 6 sharpshooter regiments, and 14 artillery batteries.

Speaking of artillery, I note that the president signed into law House bill 1.07d, which amongst other things doubles the size of army artillery batteries. As a result, all our current batteries are 50% understrength, and we are short on gun replacements.

I think it also would be a good idea to have at least two pontooning units in the department as well, for the two main army commands, for use in riverine operations.

And we are still desperate for garrison units, of any quality. One of the reason a few divisions are short infantry regiments was the needs to deploy garrison troops to enforce martial law in Kentucky and Tennessee. A 15th division was broken up entirely, in fact, to supply needed garrisons.

I remain, sir, your obedient servant,
[RIGHT]H.W. HALLECK,
Maj. Gen., Commanding[/RIGHT][/font]
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Rafiki
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Thu Oct 11, 2007 11:49 pm

[font="Fixedsys"][RIGHT]Executive Mansion, Washington D.C.,
Early October, 1862[/RIGHT]

To: Generals Sphar and Halleck

Gentlemen,

thank you for your reports.

As Halleck points out, Congress unexpectedly passed a bill to strengthen our artillery regiments, and as a result, we have been on our heels trying to bring these units up to the standards set by their new TO&E's. Given our general problems with finding new recruits, this means that there is little to no room to raise new units, and even replenishing those we have may be a tough job.

With this in mind, you must plan using those forces already under your command. I understand the plight this puts you in, and as soon as we can, we will take up our program for expanding our armies again.

General Sphar,

you have done an excellent job in rebuilding and restructuring the Army of the Potomac. You can inform Grant that he has my approval for his plans, though the reinforcements he requests may be coming later than he is comfortable with.

General Halleck,

thank you for your detailed report. It is this kind of report that the War Department needs to be able to plan ahead for the raising of new units. It has been noted and will be addressed at the earliest opportunity. Please make sure to inform us if there are any significant changes to the needs you have expressed.

I have been receiving reports that pro-rebel sympathizers have been causing unrest in Memphis to such a degree that the city barely can be said to be under our control. Do you have any information about such events?

Respectfully,
A. Lincoln[/font]
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Spharv2
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Wed Oct 17, 2007 3:55 am

To: President Lincoln, Sec. of War Stanton

From: HQ - Army of the Potomac, Manassas, VA, Oct 25th, 1862
Gen. Sphar, Cmdr. US forces - Eastern Theater



Mr. President,

The impact of our new command structure is already evident, as Grant and Meade were finally able to break the siege of Manassas that McClellan had endured for the past few months. It was far from being a decisive battle, with roughly 13-15,000 casualties for our forces and somewhere under 20,000 for Lee's force. While not an overwhelming victory, it accomplishes the first piece in our plan for our upcoming offensive. With the release of the Army of the Potomac for offensive maneuver, I am moving up the timetable while the weather holds. I am hoping that the rebels will not expect any offensive moves this late in the year, so we can catch them wrong-footed and consolidate our position before settling into winter quarters.

Gen. Sumner's force is now fully constituted. Gen. McClellan's force is not yet complete, but is strong enough for the task assigned to it. McClellan will move south to occupy Montgomery, MD to continue to shield Washington. I have moved Sumner by rail to Alexandria to defend this vital depot. Gen. Banks, who is currently defending Alexandria, will move south to Manassas. Within the next two weeks, I will send Sumner west to push Stuart out of his current positions so he will not be able to reconnoiter our positions as easily. McClellan should be able to support him from across the river as I have left him a Marine brigade. Fremont should arrive soon, and once here, I will determine which of our forces he will join with. I have diverted four full supply trains south to join Grant to support the main axis of our offensive.

Now that Lee has been pushed back and forced out of his entrenchments, I am going to have Grant continue to press him. Better to push on now while the weather is still fair than to wait until the spring after he has time to rebuild his army and positions. To that end, I have ordered Grant to follow him hard, along with the corps of Gens. Meade and Keyes. Our offensive will be limited due to the impending end of the campaign season, but if we can push him back into Charlottesville, I will attempt to immediately swing in behind Fredricksburg and take it to provide us with a forward position across the Rappahannock River. The extra supply trains should ensure that even if the weather turns, we should be able to continue the offensive to completion.

I wish we had been able to coordinate this earlier so we would have time to fully push this, but the pieces simply weren't in place until now. I simply hope that the Confederates don't attempt to bring their Valley forces back into the main battlefield, if they can, then the casualties will be huge now that both sides have the generals to follow through on plans. Though it's a bloody though, we can afford that better than they can, but it is still not how I would care to fight this.

I am most respectfully your obedient servant,

L.H.Sphar, Gen.
Official Queen's Ambassador to the South
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Rafiki
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Tue Oct 23, 2007 8:44 pm

[font="Fixedsys"][RIGHT]Executive Mansion, Washington D.C.,
Late October, 1862[/RIGHT]

To: General Sphar

General,

first of all, let me congratulate you and your men on the victory at Manassass. I truly hope that it shall prove itself the turning point of the war in the East and that Grant in time will be able to defeat the rebel armies. Even if you achieve only half of what you now have set out to do, the fighting will have taken a turn I thought impossible just a few months ago, and I shall hereby declare myself a cautious optimistic with regards to defeating the rebels once and for all in a foreseeable future.

That said, I am puzzled as to what actually happened with McClellan's command. I see from our previous correspondence that you have hinted at his dismissal as an army commander, and I blame myself for not demanding clarifications concerning it. I do, however, also hold you responsible for not being clearer about something as important as this.

To explain what has happened; though both you and I have been fully clear about McClellan's shortcomings on the battlefield and his unwillingness to seize opportunities as they have presented themselves, for some reason, this is not a realization that has been shared by many others, especially in the press and in Congress.

Washington is in an uproar. The surge of support we experienced after the Emancipation Proclamation has utterly drowned out by shouts calling for explanations and for reinstating McClellan as army commander, and I could just have well placed an order for afternoon tea as declare it our goal to free all slaves in the United States. I knew McClellan had his supporters, which is why I have been biding my time in dismissing him from command, waiting for people to see his merits for what they really were not, but I did not know how far his cronies reached nor how loud they were able to shout.

I shall be very clear on this, so as to avoid any possible confusion in the future. Under *no* circumstance shall command of armies be assigned or taken away without my express approval. For other commands, you are free to assign whomever to whichever commands you deem suitable and prudent, but army commanders are unfortunately subject to nation-wide scrutiny and therefore have to be assigned by someone with a nation-wide perspective.

Respectfully,
A. Lincoln[/font]
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jimwinsor
General of the Army
Posts: 631
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Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:50 am

[font="Courier New"][RIGHT]DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
Memphis, Tn., Early November 1862[/RIGHT]
HON. EDWIN McMASTERS STANTON, Secretary of War:

Change of plans: Due to study of the riverboat constraints, I feel obliged to get forces in front of Vicksburg in two waves. This will neccessitate a further acceleration in plans.

The first wave of six divisions will land at Yazoo City (just north of Vicksburg) immediately. This initial landing will tax our river capacity to the utmost. A follow up wave of three divisions will land there two weeks after.

An ironclad force shall run the Vicksburg defenses, then steam up the Yazoo, to ensure the landing are not interfered with.

The Vicksburg Campaign has begun. God save the Union!

I remain, sir, your obedient servant,
[RIGHT]H.W. HALLECK,
Maj. Gen., Commanding[/RIGHT][/font]
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jimwinsor
General of the Army
Posts: 631
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2007 7:07 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Sun Oct 28, 2007 6:41 pm

(ooops I accidentally edited over my last post with the new one above; I meant for it to be in addition to, rather than instead of, the lost post).
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Spharv2
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Sun Oct 28, 2007 7:33 pm

To: President Lincoln, Sec. of War Stanton

From: HQ - Army of the Potomac, Manassas, VA, Nov 7th, 1862
Gen. Sphar, Cmdr. US forces - Eastern Theater



Mr. President,

First of all, let me apologize for the confusion regarding Gen. McClellan. I overstepped my bounds and apologize to both you and the Secretary of War for that.

Now as to the situation in my area of operations. The situation I feared has come about. Both Longstreet and Jackson are on the move out of the Valley to rejoin the main army under Lee and Johnston. On one hand, it makes things easier on us, as they are mostly abandoning their Valley positions, but if allowed to link back up with Lee, it will make things harder come next campaign season.

Because of these movements, I have been forced to suspend our operations moving south against Lee and move up our operations to the west. I have ordered three corps to move west against Jackson to try and move him back and keep him separated. I am unable to do the same against Longstreet due to his position further to the South, but we still have forces between those forces and Lee, so I have moved them onto the defensive in the hope that they will be able to hold their positions and turn Longstreet back.

If I am able to turn back all, or part, of the forces moving east, I will continue a powerful attack toward the Valley, using at least three corps. If we are unable to prevent the junction of their army, then I will only move one corps into the Valley, probably under McClellan due to his familiarity with the area, to recapture Harper's Ferry and Winchester. The remainder of the army will then prepare for the main offensive next season, as a continuation this season will face much stiffer resistance, we will need all of our forces in top shape before attempting it.

In the event that we are able to recapture the Valley and set up for next season, I believe that we should reconsider the option of moving one corps by sea down to the James Peninsula or an attempt to recapture Norfolk with the forces from the Valley minus any garrison forces left in the region. This will help to weaken the forces facing us in Northern Virginia. Which option we use will depend on the size of the force we are able to gather for the operation. If we can gather a large enough force, I would prefer to take Norfolk, but if we are unsure of our ability to immediately capture the naval yards there, the Peninsula would be the better option since we have a base of operations there ready for our use.

In other news, Gen Butler successfully defeated an assault attempt on New Orleans, so the forces the rebels pulled back from the major fighting further north were used in vain and are now sitting north of the city licking their wounds. I was unsure he would be able to hold the city due to his being outnumbered at least two to one, but the positions he had constructed there and the poor conditions the rebels were forced to advance through were enough to defeat the assault. I would reiterate my desire to transfer Butler to Gen. Halleck's command. We are currently unable to reinforce him until the situation in the east is stabilized, and with his advances down the Mississippi, a linkup may be possible fairly soon. Transferring Butler to his command will allow him to better coordinate any movements that are needed.

I am most respectfully your obedient servant,

L.H.Sphar, Gen.
Official Queen's Ambassador to the South

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jimwinsor
General of the Army
Posts: 631
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Location: San Diego, CA USA

Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:50 pm

[font="Courier New"][RIGHT]DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
Memphis, Tn., Late November 1862[/RIGHT]
HON. EDWIN McMASTERS STANTON, Secretary of War:

Maj. Gens. Curtis and Rosecrans successfully landed at Yazoo City, with six divisions and considerable supplies. Three more divisions under Heintzelman shall move down to join them overland, and then all nine will move so as to trap the two CSA divisions there under Bragg.

As a result of these encircling moves, the capitol of Jackson MS should fall this turn too.

Our river naval forces have been battered in this operations, but few ships have been sunk, fortunately.

Good weather in Tennessee has encouraged Burnside to try a winter campaign towards Atlanta as well.

I remain, sir, your obedient servant,
[RIGHT]H.W. HALLECK,
Maj. Gen., Commanding[/RIGHT][/font]
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jimwinsor
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Posts: 631
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Location: San Diego, CA USA

Tue Nov 06, 2007 9:46 pm

[font="Courier New"][RIGHT]DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
Memphis, Tn., Early December 1862[/RIGHT]
HON. EDWIN McMASTERS STANTON, Secretary of War:

We have taken Jackson, MS, and partially encircled Vicksburg. The only way into and out of the city now is via road through Port Gibson.

My plan is to make further attempts at total encirclement. Reinforcements are moving down to establish rail supply from Memphis, and to complete the isolation of the city (and it's well intrenched defenders) on all sides, both land and river.

Something you may wish to consider: If New Orleans can be reinforced, even with just a few spare brigades, an excellent opportunity for making gains by pushing up the Mississippi present itself. Baton Rouge appears but lightly defended, and if taken will further not only mark the fall of yet another CSA capitol, but will further complicate the rebel supply situation at Vicksburg.

Lamentably, Burnside's efforts against Beauregard at Chattanooga were repulsed, with modest losses. It seems to me the position there is too tough to take with the forces on hand; my inclination is to halt the drive on Atlanta, divert forces to the critical battle shaping up at Vicksburg, then resume the Atlanta campaign once the Mississippi valley is fully secured.

I remain, sir, your obedient servant,
[RIGHT]H.W. HALLECK,
Maj. Gen., Commanding[/RIGHT][/font]
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