Meanest and 'Damnest' Job

Rucker Michael P.

Description

Most Civil War histories focus on the performance of top-level generals. However, it was the individual officers below them who actually led the troops to enact the orders. Some of these were remarkably effective. One such officer was Edmund Winchester Rucker. He was a force to be reckoned with, both during the Civil War and in his post-war business ventures. He was courageous, tough and resourceful, and achieved significant results in every assignment. During the campaign by the United States Army to capture the upper Mississippi River, Rucker and his faithful Confederate artillerists, with only three operable cannons, held off the entire Federal fleet which possessed 105 heavy guns. Later, in East Tennessee, Ruckers duties included punishing saboteurs and conscripting unwilling local citizens into the Confederate Army. He described these assignments as: "The meanest and damnest [sic] duty a soldier had to perform." Following the battles for Chattanooga, he served with General Nathan Bedford Forrest as a cavalry brigade commander, earning high merits for his performance. Ruckers leadership was a major factor in the Confederate victory in the Battle of Brices Cross Roads, which has been called "Historys Greatest Cavalry Battle." Subsequent to the Battle of Nashville, Rucker was wounded and captured; although his left arm was amputated, this did not impede his future achievements. After the war, Colonel Rucker and General Forrest became business partners in a railroad-building project. Rucker did well from this venture and became one of the wealthiest early entrepreneurs in Birmingham. In recognition of his many accomplishments, Fort Rucker Alabama was named in his honor. This first biography on his life examines, at a fast-moving pace, the military and business accomplishments of this outstanding leader who left his mark on both the Civil War and Southern industry of the time.

Sujets

• Histoire
• USA
• Military history
• History of the Americas
• Civil war
• American Civil War
• États-Unis
• History
• Guerre de Sécession

Informations

• Publié par: University of Georgia Press
• Date de parution: 30 août 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781588383839
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 14 Mo

Extrait

The Civil War community has long needed a book on Edmund Winchester Rucker, and at last it has one. Aside from some very brief biographies, little has been written about this outstanding Confederate officer, excepting his dashing charges at Brices Crossroads. The Meanest and Damnest Job covers the man s life extensively, and in a most readable style, while discussing the events that influenced Edmund Rucker s calls to duty. Any Civil War enthusiast will enjoy this work. Any Civil War library will be improved by its addition.
- B RIG . G EN . P ARKER H ILLS , Ret.
The Meanest and Damnest Job book brings to life Edmund Winchester Rucker s participation in the Civil War and his involvement in post-war Alabama railroad construction and Birmingham industry, where he played a significant role in transforming the Sloss Furnace Company into the newly formed chartered Sloss Iron and Steel Company. The book is a lively account, painstakingly researched, that recovers for a new generation of readers the fascinating story of Rucker s life. It serves as an interesting character study, but also usefully fills in the blanks of our understanding about an important but lesser-known Civil War leader.
- K AREN R. U TZ , Curator and Historian, Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark

Edmund Winchester Rucker

A LSO BY M ICHAEL P. R UCKER
Bridge Burner: The Full and Factual Story of Dr. William Parks Rucker, Slave-Owning Union Partisan
NewSouth Books
105 S. Court Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
Copyright 2019 by Michael P. Rucker
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
Published in the United States by NewSouth Books, Montgomery, Alabama.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Rucker, Michael P., author.
Title: The meanest and damnest job : the Civil War experiences and civilian history of Colonel Edmund Winchester Rucker / Michael P. Rucker.
Description: Montgomery, AL : NewSouth Books, [2019] | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019018009 (print) | LCCN 2019018900 (ebook) | ISBN 9781588383839 (Ebook) | ISBN 9781588383822
Subjects: LCSH: Rucker, Edmund Winchester, 1835-1924. | Confederate States of America-Armed Forces-Officers-Biography. | United States-History-Civil War, 1861-1865.
Classification: LCC E467.1.R85 (ebook) | LCC E467.1.R85 R83 2019 (print) | DDC 973.7/3013092 [B] -dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019018009
Maps: Gorman and Associates, Peoria, Illinois
Design by Randall Williams
Printed in the United States of America by Sheridan
Contents
Maps
Significant Dates in the Life of Edmund Winchester Rucker
Preface
Introduction
1 A Self-Trained Engineer
2 Tennessee Prepares for War
3 Fortifying the Mighty Mississippi
4 Occupying Columbus: A Strategic Error
5 The Kentucky Pro-U.S. Neutrality
6 Grant Takes the Initiative-Seizes Paducah
7 Fort DeRussy- Gibraltar of the West
8 The Inconclusive Battle of Belmont- Seeing the Elephant
9 The Horrific Lady Polk Calamity-She was No Lady
10 Forts Henry and Donelson-Who s in Charge?
11 The Abandonment of Fort DeRussy- Goodbye Columbus
12 Fortifying Island Number 10-A Soggy Sandbar
13 The Construction of Rucker s Redan
14 The Bombardment of Rucker s Redan-Three Cannons Hold Off 105
15 The Abandonment of New Madrid and the Surrender of Island Number 10
16 Bloody Shiloh and the Retreat to Corinth
17 Rucker Assigned to East Tennessee
18 Braxton Bragg and Kirby Smith Invade Kentucky
19 Martial Law: The Meanest and Damnest Job
20 Rucker Not Re-elected as an Officer by His Men
21 Rosecrans vs. Bragg-Two Procrastinators
22 Rucker Provides the Rear Guard in the Evacuation of Chattanooga
23 Chickamauga-Bragg Snatches Defeat from the Jaws of Victory
24 Chattanooga- Grant Sprang like a Caged Lion
25 Rucker (Finally) Assigned to Serve with Forrest
26 The Battle of Brices Cross Roads- The Greatest of All Cavalry Battles
27 The Battle of Tupelo-Confederate Lack of Coordination
28 Rucker Returns to Duty-and Controversy
29 See the Boat Come Round the Bend -The Horse Marines
30 The Cannonade of Johnsonville-A Baby Waker!
31 Onward to Nashville-and Disaster
32 The Battle of Nashville-Confederate Misfortune
33 Prisoner of War
34 Forrest Calls It Quits
35 After the War-Railroad Boom and Bust-and Boom Again
36 From Railroad Builder to Pig Iron Magnate
Appendices
A. Tennessee Declaration of Independence and Ordinance
B. Military Organization and Rank
C. Forts Named DeRussy
D. Johnson s Island Military Prison
E. Forrest s Farewell Address to His Troops
F. That Matter of Rank for Rucker-and a Final Conundrum
Bibliography
Notes
Image Credits and Notes
Index
Maps
The World of Edmund Winchester Rucker
Principal Sites, Rivers and Railroads
Island Number 10 and New Madrid
U.S. Army Map of Columbus and Belmont
Cities for which the city class gunboats were named
Bridges Burned by Unionists
Battle of Brices Cross Roads
Rucker s attack on the wagon train
Battle of Tupelo
Forrest s attack on the Johnsonville Depot
Location of certain commanders at Nashville Dec. 15, 1864

Significant Dates in the Life of Edmund Winchester Rucker
July 22, 1835
Born in Rutherford County, Tennessee
Feb. 4, 1861
Confederate States of America formed
April 12, 1861
Attack on Fort Sumter
May 1861
Joins Tennessee militia as 1st Lt. Engineer Corps
May 21, 1861
Promoted to Capt., Co. E, 1st Tenn. Heavy Artillery
Nov. 7, 1861
Battle of Belmont
Nov. 9, 1861
Father died after mistreatment by Federal partisans
Nov. 11, 1861
Lady Polk cannon explosion
March 2, 1862
Abandonment of Fort DeRussy; relocation to Island No. 10
March 17, 1862
Bombardment of Rucker s Redan at Island No. 10
April 7, 1862
Surrender of Island No. 10; Escape across Reelfoot Lake
June 12, 1861
Assigned with Forrest; departs for East Tennessee
Oct. 1861
Promoted to major
July 14-15, 1864
Battle of Richmond, Kentucky; commands cavalry
Nov. 61-Feb. 62
On conscript and martial law duty in East Tennessee
Jan. 1863
Not reelected as officer by his men
March 24, 1863
Promoted to colonel
Sept. 9, 1863
Provides rear guard for evacuation of Chattanooga
Sept. 19-20, 1863
Battle of Chickamauga
Nov. 23-25
Battles for Chattanooga
May 24, 1863
Assigned to serve with Forrest
June 10, 1864
Battle of Brices Cross Roads
July 14-15, 1864
Wounded at Battle of Tupelo-Forrest wounded also
Oct. 18,1864
Rejoined Forrest for incursion into Middle Tennessee
Oct. 29-Nov. 2, 64
Capture of the steamboats
Nov. 4, 1864
Cannonade of Johnsonville
Nov. 28, 1864
Battle of Spring Hill
Nov. 29, 1864
Battle of Franklin
Dec. 15-16, 1864
Wounded and captured at Battle of Nashville
Feb. 1865
Confined at Johnson s Island Prison
March 1, 1865
Exchanged and released
May 9, 1865
Forrest calls it quits
1866
With Forrest, building Memphis Little RR
1869
With Forrest, building Selma, Marion Memphis RR
Nov. 11, 1873
Married Mary Woodfin of Marion, Alabama
July 8, 1878
Selma Greensboro RR sold; Rucker profited as shareholder
1880
Rucker to Birmingham; banking, coal mining and iron smelting
1883
Death of wife, Mary Woodfin Rucker
Nov. 30, 1886
Married Mary T. Bentley of Maury County, Tennessee
1880-1890
Major owner in Sloss-Sheffield Furnaces
April 13, 1924
Death, Birmingham, Alabama
Preface
What does that mean? What kind of book title is that?
These were some of the initial reactions of those who proofread the draft of this narrative when they encountered the quotation I used for the title: The meanest and damnest job . . .
The full quote is The meanest and damnest [sic] job a soldier ever had, which was attributed to Colonel Edmund Winchester Rucker while he was assigned to administer martial law and forced conscription in east Tennessee in parts of 1862-63.
I feel that the phrase accurately summarizes the nature of the entire war, as war is always a mean job and the Civil War epitomized such cruelty and horror.
So, does the world need another Civil War book?
I pondered this question while in the research phase of this project, but since it was to be a biography, I decided that Edmund Winchester Rucker merited attention and needed to be written about. His is the story of an individual who had a variety of Civil War assignments and adventures but also became a prominent and respected businessman after the war.
One reason I initiated this project was that I have often been asked whether I am related to the namesake Rucker for whom Fort Rucker, Alabama, is named. The answer is that his great-grandfather is our closest family connection-so, not very close.
Coverage of the early battles, when Rucker was not significantly involved, is limited to brief summaries; the focus is on his participation when he was most prominent and effective. The background of the early battles, as well as important political events, are necessary elements to understand Rucker s involvement as the war progressed; his place in the sequence of events was dependent upon the outcome of these early events. Without an overview of these important prerequisite developments, Rucker s later participation would seem disjointed.
I have tried to be entirely neutral towards both sides in the war, although I may have been somewhat harsh in my criticism of the leadership and decision-making ability of certain leaders on both sides of the conflict. However, I have also commented favorably when commendations were due.
It is said that all history is biography. I hope readers will enjoy this biography of Edmund Winchester Rucker, a compelling historical figure.
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
The narrative would have been significantly less authoritative had it not been for the following individuals who went out of their way to provide information and assistance:
Parker Hills, Brig. Gen. U.S. Army (Ret.), Battle Focus [Civil War battle site tours], Clinton, Mississippi. For