Federals under Major General William Tecumseh Sherman were on the march in Georgia—a perfect time for all virtuous men to come to the aid of their country… or state. The problem was the Confederates lacked a unified command for coordination to effectively oppose Sherman. One hundred and fifty years ago today on November 22, 1864, Ambrose Ransom Wright, a former general of the Army of Northern Virginia who was now the Georgia Senate’s president, rose to the occasion… only to be shot down like a bird right after takeoff. Since fire-eating Governor Joseph E. Brown was in Macon and he was at the perceived Union destination of Augusta, Wright thought it proper to invoke state law: Brown, he believed, was “disabled,” cut off, so as second in the line of succession, he deemed it proper for him to take matters into his own hands. “I have assumed command of the militia of the State east of the Oconee River,” he told the commanding officer of the troops around Savannah, “and have ordered all able-bodied men to report to me here.” Brown’s proponents begged to differ, so Wright telegraphed Brown requesting his acquiescence. The governor denied the request, arguing that communications had been merely “lengthened.” Apparently, state sovereignty does not necessarily translate into delegation of authority. Moreover, just because there was a crisis didn’t mean an end to squabbling. #AmericanCivilWar #militaryhistory
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 04:27:58 +0000
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