Description:

Joseph Johnson
various, ca. January 9-30, 1865
Collection of Petitions In Support of Adopting Gen. Joseph Wheeler's Cavalry Tactics
Archive

A collection of hand-bound secretarial letters from the Army of Tennessee, written in support of the adoption of General Joseph Wheeler's cavalry tactics. 10pp and 3pp of a bifolium, measuring 6.75" x 8.75", various places, dating between January 9-25, 1865. Consisting of a bound set of six copies of letters docketed "Recommendations of the adoption of Wheeler's Tactics by the War Department" and one additional letter signed by 31 supporters. These letters are petitions of confidence from Wheeler's top commanders (Iverson, Humes, Dibrell, Allen, Hagen, and Anderson) addressed to General Samuel Cooper, the highest ranking Confederate officer in the Army and Inspector General within the Confederate War Department. The commanders request a formal adoption of "Wheeler's Calvary Tactics" be introduced into the Army of Tennessee and asks that it be published cheaply to be distributed to all officers and men. All of the signatures within the bound set are secretarial. With flattened folds and light toning throughout. Some minor creasing at corners. Overall very good.

In part:
January 11, 1865: "…I have necessarily become familiar with the Tactics of several authors and I take great pleasure in stating that I consider 'Wheelers Tactics' far superior to them all, especially in his single rank formation and abbreviation of commands generally, in fact he has so simplified every evolution necessary for Cavalry or mounted Infantry…as to make them comprehensible to the dullest mind."

January 3, 1865: "…I have had a few opportunity of testing in active service the comparative merits of Poinsett's Gillem's & Wheelers Systems, and I unhesitatingly pronounce Wheelers to be far superior to any other work on Cavalry Tactics that I have ever read, & by far the best adopted for maneuvering and fighting in a thickly wooded or mountainous country, such as ours."

Joseph Wheeler (1836-1906) was a cavalry general in the Confederate Army known for his horsemanship and bold tactics. However, his military genius was not immediately evident: he graduated 26th out of 29 cadets at West Point in 1859 and ironically his lowest grades were in Cavalry Tactics. During the Civil War, he was highly praised for his quick thinking and cool presence under heavy fire. On October 13, 1862, Wheeler was appointed Chief of Cavalry for the Army of Mississippi, followed on October 30, by his promotion to Brigadier General at the age of only twenty-six. On November 14, Wheeler was ordered to take charge of all cavalry under General Joseph E. Johnston, and during this time he developed tree-felling tactics in delaying Union Army advances. The following year, he published a manual entitled, "A Revised System of Cavalry Tactics, for the Use of the Cavalry and Mounted Infantry, C.S.A.", which was soon adopted by General Johnston's Army of Tennessee.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 6.75" x 8.75"
  • Medium: Archive

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