OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Tidbits of Ohio -- Part 64 ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgenwebarchives.org ************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 August 8, 2005 ************************************************************************** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Historical Collections of Ohio And Then They Went West Know Your Ohio Tid Bits -- Part 64 by Darlene E. Kelley notes by S. Kelly +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits - Part 64 William Starke Rosecrans William Starke Rosecrans was born Sept. 6, 1819 at Kingston township, of Delaware County, Ohio, the son of Crandall Rosecrans and Jane Hopkins and the great-grandson of Stephen Hopkins, Colonial Governor of Rhode Island and a signer of the Declaration of Independence and, he also co-authored with John Adams, the draft of the Articles of Confederation. The family originally came from Amsterdam, Holland, first settling in Pennsylvaia and then moving to Ohio. William Rosecran's brother Sylvester Harden Rosecran was the first Bishop of Columbus Ohio. William Rosecrans was a graduate of the Class of 1842 at West Point, graduating # 5 in a class of 56 students. Among his classmates were: James Longstreet, Richard H. Anderson, Abner Doubleday, John Newton, George Sykes, Seth Williams, Lafayette McClaws, Alexander P. Stewart, John Pope, D.H.Hill, and Earl Van Dorn, having as his room-mates, James Longstreet and A.P. Stewart. He had entered the military academy at the age of fifteen. After graduation he entered the Engineer Corps of the Army as Second Lieutenent, serving the Government effeciently and well in various capacities until 1853, when he was promoted to First Lieutenent, and shortly after, to the great regret of his superior officers, resigned. >From this time until the breaking out of the rebellion, he devoted himself to civil engineering and kindered occupations, making his headquarters at Cincinnati, Ohio. His rise in business was astounding. He took over direction of mining in west Virginia, where his geological surveys pointed with remarkable accuracy to profitable new veins of coal. He became President of a navagation company formed to transport coal. He was also an inventor. Numbered among his inventions were odorless oil, a round lamp wick, a short practical lamp chimmeny, and a new and econimical method of manufacuring soap. When in the laboratory a safty lamp exploded and burned him terribly. He was bedridden for 18 months recovering from the burns. Just as his recovery from burns were coming to a conclusion the Civil War broke out. His first duties in the war were for the State of Ohio, when he became the drill master for the " Marion Rifles." After which he became the engineering officer that laid the plan for Camp Dennison, Ohio, and began the organization of Camp Chase and as Colonel eventually became the Commanding Officer of the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which among its members were Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, and Stanley Matthews, a future Associate Judge of the Supreme Court. As brigadier-general in the United States Army, he went to West Virginia, fought the battle of Rich Mountain, and on the 23rd or 24th of July,1861, succeeded McClellan as commander of the Department of the Ohio, consisting of troops from West Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. While in command of that department he defeated the attempts of General Lee to penetrate West Virginia by Cheat Mountain and the Kanawha route, and subsequently by way of Romney, and along the B.& O. road. The Legislature of West Virginia passed a unanimous vote of thanks in recognition of his services in defending the State, which was followed soon after by a simular vote of thanks from the Legislature of the State of Ohio. In 1862, he submitted a plan for the campaign of that year auxiliary to that for the movements of the Army of the Potomac, which plan was highly approved by the general-in-chief and by the War Department. Early in April, 1862, he was ordered to Washington and sent to find and conduct Blencker's Division to General Fremont. He submitted to the War Department a plan for application of the forces under Generals McDowell, Banks, and Fremont to occupy the Shanandoah Valley and threaten communications with the South. In May, 1862, he was ordered to report to General Halleck, who commanded our army in front of Corinth, Mississippi. Was put in command of two divisions (Stanley's and Paine's) in front of that city, and when it was vacated by Bragg and Beauregard, he led the infantry pursuit until ordered to stop. In June, 1862, with two small divisions he confronted General Sterling Price, and fought the battle of Iuka. In connection with the mention of his general system of army management, it may be stated that he originated the making of photoprinting maps, and furnished his subordinate commanders with information maps of the regions of military operations; established convalescent hospitals for the treatment or discharge of chronic cases; organized colored men into squads of twenty five each, and equipped and employed them as engineer troops; employed escaped colored women in laundries and as cooks for hospitals, etc. On October 3d and 4th, 1862, with four divisions, he fought the battle of Corinth. By order of the President he was placed in command of the Department of the Cumberland and Army of the Ohio, relieving General Buel, Oct 30, 1862. He reorganized this army, and etablished an Inspector-General's system by detail from the line, also a Topographical Department by detail of Brigade, Division, and Corps Engineers, and a Pioneer Corps by detail of officers and men from the Infantry. He also reorganized both the cavalry and artillery. On December 31, 1862, and January 1 and 2, 1863, he fought the battle of Stone River, against the Confederates under General Bragg, and drove him behind the line of Duck River. >From June 23 to July 7, 1863, he conducted the campaign of Tullahoma, by which Bragg was driven out of hi intrenched camps ( at Shelbyville and Tullahoma ) in Middle Tennessee. After the battle of Stone River, he was tendered, almost simultaneously, a unanimous vote of thanks from Congress and from the States of Ohio and Indiana. >From July 7, 1863, to August 14,1863, he was bringing forward supplies, perfecting the organization of the army, and manoeuvering for Chattanooga, giving special attention to the rebuilding of a railroad, as a necessary pre-requisite to success. After Corinth, Rosecrans was given the command of the XIV Corps and promotion to major General. The promotion was back dated to march 1862 so that Rosecrans could outrank Major General Thomas. As Commanding General of the XIV Corps, Rosecrans secured the victory at Stones River ( Murfeesboro ) and immediately began the reorganization of the Corps into the Army of the Cumberland. He than embarked upon the Tullahoma Campaign and ousted the Confederates from Chattanoga with fewer than 500 casualties in thewhole army. Rosecrans was loved by the men of his Army but was harsh on his officers. A very problematic fault of Rosecrans was that once a battle began he became very excitable which led him to stutter and become very difficult to understand. Another problem of Rosecrans was he would micro-manage the movements of units himself instead of using the chain of command to direct movements. These problems were never more apparent that at Chickamauga. Rosecrans issued an order to General Wood ' to close in and support his left." This order created a hole in the Union Line which coincided with Longstreet's attack and led the Confederate victory. Because of the defeat Rosecrans was relieved of Command of the Army of the Cumberland and would eventually be given the command of the Department of Missouri until wars end. He felt that one act of measureless injustice and wrong which, stained the annuals of his otherwise spotless career. On resigning his commission, General Rosecrans went to California and became a citizen of that State. He was offered and declined the Democratic nomination for Governor of California in 1867. He was also offered the nomination for governor by the convention of Independant Republicans held at Marysville and declined. In 1868, he was nominated and confirmed as United States minister to Mexico, without consultation or knowledge on his part until notified thereof. He accepted this appointment on condition that he should be allowed carte-blanche to represent the good will of the American republic towards Mexico. In 1869 he returned to California and resumed the practice of his profession, namely, that of civil and mining engineering. It should be stated, however, that during his residence in Mexico he became thoroughly convinced that the mutual prosperity of Mexico and the United States would be promoted by the progress of Mexico under her own autonomy, and, acting in accordance with his carte-blanche, he urged the Mexican cabinet and other leaders to further and foster the construction of railroads. His efforts in this direction met with such success that the initiative period of Mexican development in regard dates from the time of these earnest efforts on his part. In 1869 he was also offered and declined the Democratic nomination for Governor of Ohio. In 1870 he memorialized Cogress urging the encouragement of commerce with Mexico. In 1872-3, at the influential people in this country, and on the invitation of the president of Mexico, he supervised the legislation in favor of railroad construction along the various States of that republic. As a result of his presence in the country, and counsel given by means of public discussion in the prominent newspapers of the republic, the legislatures of seventeen Mexican States passed unanimously resolutions urging the government to take favorable legislative action for encouraging the construction of railroads in Mexico. In six other States whose legislatures were not in session, the governors sent officially, strong messages to the general government in favor of fostering of such enterprises. Thus, practically, in twenty three States favorable legislaion was enacted asking the government to encourage railroad construction. In 1881 he was urged by the workingmen of California to allow his name to be used by the Democratic party as a candidate for the Forty-eighth Congress, and on his consent thereto was nominated and elected. He was re-elected to the Forty-ninth Congress. During each of his Congressional terms he was assigned, as representative, to important legislative and political duties. In June, 1885, he was appointed by President Cleveland to the Register of the United States Treasury, the duties of which office he performed with characteristic thoroughness and efficiency. Thus his caeer had been as useful and honorable in peace as it was patriotic and glorious in war. William S. Rosecrans died March 11, 1898 at Redondo, California and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits continued in Part 65.