Pickens, Walker, and the Defense of the South Carolina Coast in September 1861

Leroy Walker was a hard working yet inefficient first Secretary of War for the Confederacy. Francis Pickens was obsessed with defending his state against the coming Yankee threat. What could possibly go wrong? Before Walker resigned on September 16th due to the strain of the position, Pickens showed off his amateur military knowledge to push for specific coastal defense needs. In a letter from September 1st, he strongly urged for Colonel Maxcy Gregg's assistance on the coast since he believed an invasion was imminent and Gregg would give 'confidence to the country.' Also, in a jab at Walker's effectiveness, Pickens wished to avoid 'disasters' similar to what happened 'on the defenseless coast of North Carolina.' Also, Pickens speaks about remodeling old guns from the country since fresh arms weren't available, practically begging Walker for more weapons & powder as well as more troops. Finally, Pickens outlined his ideal military setup so that he 'could feel safe for the present,' bringing to mind his contempt of Roswell Ripley, commander of the SC coastal defenses. 

Francis Pickens looking properly stern.

Brigadier General Roswell Ripley

CSA's 1st Secretary of War, Leroy Walker

The dashing Maxcy Gregg

Jesse D Bright

One of the more interesting congressional stories during the Civil War was the expulsion of Jessie D. Bright from the US Senate. Bright, a senator from Indiana, was an active supporter of the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska bill. After 'secessionitis' became rampant throughout the south, Bright was a key part of the Democratic opposition to the Lincoln administration, being the Senate's senior Democrat. His sympathies for the South were obvious, and this came to a head in March of 1861. 

Bright wrote a letter of introduction to Jefferson Davis for a friend travelling to Montgomery, Alabama. This letter referenced Davis as 'President of the Confederation of States.' Since the predominant view of Congress was a South in rebellion against the Union, this form of address seemed to recognize Jefferson Davis as the leader of a nation. This empowered Bright's enemies (including abolitionist senators Charles Sumner and Morton Wilkinson) to strike, leading a campaign to convince other senators of his conflicting loyalties. On February 5, 1862, the Senate successfully expelled Bright and effectively ended his political career. It was a shocking reversal for a powerful senator with 16 years of experience in Congress. 

Battle of Smyrna

For someone who takes pride in his writing, I don't write very much. As you can see from this blog, my last post was in 2017. Since then, Ripken has passed on and I don't travel to Civil War sites as much as I used to. Don't get me wrong: The CW bug is as strong as ever, but I spend more time reading and taking classes about the war then getting out and seeing the battlefields. 

In fact, I'm reading a great book by Daniel Sutherland titled 'A Savage Conflict: The Decisive Role of Guerillas in the American Civil War.' It details various guerilla actions during the war, including an Atlanta native who formed a company of 'mounted riflemen' early in the war to protect the Georgia 'frontier.' Also, there were the Cherokee Rangers, who could be anywhere in Georgia or bordering counties in North Carolina or Tennessee with five hours' notice. However, the emphasis of all guerilla units was local defense. Georgia's various groups of partisan rangers needed to take care of farms and local affairs just as urgently as protect against Union influences from outside or within. Of the various Georgia groups I've read about so far, my favorite name is the Camden Chasseurs, who roamed the coast north of Florida for enemy small boats. 

As you can guess, I live in the Atlanta area, in a little city named Smyrna, just down the road from Marietta and Kennesaw Mountain. During the Atlanta Campaign, this city saw some action on the 4th of July, both near the Smyrna campground that gave the city its name and Ruff's Mill, a small area on Nickajack Creek.