Lloyd Tilghman: Confederate General in the Western Theatre, by Bryan S. Bush, 2006.
Critique by Gregory S. Miller
Page 9:
“, but on July 5, 1861, Tilghman and the Third Kentucky Infantry, Company D, joined the Confederacy.”
Tilghman and many others from Paducah that were members of the Kentucky State Guard were mustered into the Confederate army.
Page 10:
“At 1:10 PM Tilghman’s men were exhausted and only four cannon were left at the fort.”
Only four functioning cannon.
Page 15:
“was the only son of James and Ann Caroline Shoemaker;”
Surname: Tilghman
Page 18-19:
“Confederate General Joseph Anderson” and “cannon foundry in Richmond, Virginia”
Tredegar Iron Works
Page 19:
“On October 1, 1836, three months after Tilghman’s graduation from West Point, he resigned his commission.”
Earlier it was mentioned that a year’s service in the US army was required upon graduation. What was his penalty?
Page 19:
“America became involved in its first major conflict: the Mexican War.”
Did he mean U.S. of A.?
What about the War of 1812?
Page 19-20:
Note “David Niven”
What is this?
This is the only place he puts source information in the text and not in the endnotes.
Page 20:
“President Polk was an expansionist president and, like many of his fellow Americans, he spoke of Manifest Destiny.”
Polk followed in Jackson’s footsteps. Both were Democrats, and Jackson was a definite expansionist.
Page 20:
“Eli Whitney’s cotton gin revived a dying slave economy.”
Bull. Tobacco, sugar, and hemp production were strongly reliant on slave labor. The South was not just cotton. Different areas of the South had a dominant type of agriculture that utilized slave labor.
Page 38:
“Between 1853 till 1859 Tilghman was chief engineer for the location and construction of the Mississippi, Machita, and Red River railroad extending from near Gaines Landing in Arkansas to the Texas line in Bowie County, Texas.”
This is actually the Mississippi, Ouachita and the Red River Railroad. Railroad should be capitalized.
Page 38:
All of Tilghman’s railroad engineer career based on the Tilghman Papers according to endnote number 99. No other source mentioned.
Page 40:
Talks about S. B. Buckner as head of Kentucky State Guard, but does not use Stickles biography of Buckner as a source.
Page 40:
“Steven Douglas” should be “Stephen Douglas.”
Page 40:
“The people of Kentucky did not approve of secession.”
The people of Kentucky were fonder of the Union than disunion. John C. Breckinridge, the States Rights’ candidate, finished a close second to Bell, the Constitutional Union candidate, in the 1860 Presidential election.
The Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 demonstrated the belief of Kentuckians that “the federal government is made up of free and independent states.”
Page 40:
“Even though slavery was dying out in the state in 1860,”
Not true; Daniel Hillman of Trigg and Lyon counties was the largest slave owner in the state, with his slaves working in his iron works. He has a larger number on the 1860 slave schedule of the Federal Census than anyone in the state had had in 1850.
Slaves in the state were also heavily engaged in tobacco and hemp production.
Page 40:
“There were twelve points on the Ohio river opposite Kentucky where railroads came down from the North; only two points could connect with the South.”
OK. The L&N and the Memphis Branch.
What about the railroad lines from Columbus and Hickman that both crossed into Tennessee and joined at Union City?
Page 42:
“Captains Edward Crossland and Brownson.”
Should be, “Captains Edward Crossland and Bowman.”
Page 42:
“On May 15 a Confederate regiment was formed at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, under Col. Blanton Duncan.”
Actually only a battalion at this time known as the “First Kentucky Battalion.”
Page 43:
“At the time Tilghman was in command of the western division of the Kentucky Militia,”
Tilghman was not in charge of all the Kentucky militia in western Kentucky, but only that part in the Kentucky State Guard. Each Kentucky county had a colonel of that county’s militia.
Page 45:
“Kentucky also protested the blockade of the river routes.”
Far western Kentucky, where Tilghman was living, was experiencing the greatest part of interference from the North. Far western Kentucky was the most States Rights portion of the state; it being predominately Jacksonian Democrat, and the rest of the state had been predominately Henry Clay Whigs.
It was the far western portion of the state that was most vocal in its call for secession from the earliest days of 1861.
Page 47:
“On June 24, 1861 Colonel Tilghman arrived in Columbus, Kentucky with the Kentucky State Guard.”
This is very unlikely as a whole, as in just a few days many of these men would be on their way to Montgomery County, Tennessee, to enlist in the Confederate army at Camp Boone.
Page 48:
“Tilghman tried to remain neutral, but on July 5, 1861, he and his 4th Kentucky Infantry Regiment joined the Confederacy. Tilghman was made Colonel of the Third Kentucky Mounted Infantry.”
This assumes that all the Kentucky State Guard companies in the 4th regiment enlisted in the Confederate army exactly in their former formal organization as State Guard. This is just not so. Some of the former State Guard companies from far western Kentucky of the 4th regiment would end up in other Confederate regiments.
Also, the regiment they formed at Camp Boone was the Third Kentucky Infantry. They were not mounted and they were not so designated by the Confederate government. Even though the Third would be partially mounted in 1863 and mostly mounted in 1864, the unit was never officially re-designated by the Confederate government.
Page 48:
“The Kentucky Guard disbanded”
Earlier stated that the “4th Kentucky Infantry Regiment joined the Confederacy.”
What’s up? Did they disband or just transfer?
Page 48:
“Colonel Ben Hardin Helm, Lincoln’s brother-in-law, took over the Kentucky State Guard troops at Columbus.”
Helm was ordered to do so but no evidence of it taking place can be found. Besides, what State Guard troops were left in West Kentucky to man Columbus? Only a few companies that would later join the Seventh Kentucky were left.
Page 48:
“they followed their conscious and joined the Confederacy. That must have been a hard decision for Tilghman.”
No evidence for this statement. The majority of the people of Paducah and the rest of the Jackson Purchase had been pushing for joining the Confederacy for months. There was very little Unionist support in Paducah and the Purchase in 1861.
Page 49:
,” which violated Kentucky’s neutrality and provided the North the justification to invade Kentucky.”
The people of the Jackson Purchase had had their neutrality violated by Yankee soldiers from Cairo on numerous occasions before this. The people of Columbus had gone so far as to ask for Confederate troops to protect them from the Yankee incursions from Cairo. The people of the Purchase had not been successful in getting help from Frankfort.
Author gives Confederate reasons for move to Columbus.
Page 50:
“Later in the month of 1861,”
What does this mean?
Page 51:
“The seizure of Columbus was a huge Confederate blunder.”
The Yankees would have moved in officially if the Confederates had not beat them to Columbus. The problem with Polk is that he did not enter Paducah before Grant. The Kentucky legislature was already in the hands of Unionists and fence-sitters, and was not really protecting Kentucky’s neutrality. The people of the Purchase were not all that offended at Confederate troops coming to their aid.
Page 51:
“On that same day Brigadier General U. S. Grant, along with five thousand men from Fort Holt, which was located on the Kentucky shore opposite Cairo, Illinois, entered the city of Paducah.”
Grant took Paducah on September 6, 1861, not September 7, 1861 as the previous paragraph gave date.
Fort Holt was not started until after Paducah was taken.
Page 52:
“During his Mississippi River Campaign in 1863, Paducah would become an important city for Grant later in the war.”
Confusing.
Paducah was a key factor in the Union efforts at severing the Confederacy by its use as an important supply base from its taking in 1861 until Vicksburg fell in 1863 and on through the war.
Page 52-53:
Goes into too much detail—Grant’s actions against the people of Paducah and the Jews; General Paine’s actions against the people of Paducah. The book is supposed to be about Tilghman, not Paducah.
Page 53:
“After Grant entered the city of Paducah on September 6, 1861, Tilghman was located twenty four miles outside of the city with two thousand Confederates.”
Not so. What is the source—documentation?
Tilghman may have been recruiting, etc., in the Jackson Purchase with other local Kentucky Confederates from Camp Boone but he had no organized troops with him.
Page 53:
“and moved on the garrison at Smithland.”
There was no Confederate garrison at Smithland.
The Yankees occupied Smithland later in September, 1861, after they occupied Paducah.
Page 54:
“By September 23, Tilghman had reached Columbus, Kentucky.”
Tilghman was not at Columbus, Kentucky. He was at Nashville, Tennessee, writing to General Albert S. Johnston, who was at Columbus.
Page 55:
Why all the material on the Kentucky Legislature? Not about Tilghman.
Page 56:
Why all the information on Union gunboats? Not about Tilghman.
Page 57:
Sherman’s statement that, “Recruitment for Union soldiers was poor and the young men of Kentucky were mostly pro-Southern,”
This is actually false. Union enlistments by Kentuckians in some places kept up and some even surpassed Confederate enlistments.
Page 57:
Too much information on Union actions in Kentucky that are not necessarily related to Tilghman.
Page 58:
“Hopkinsville and Clarksville were on the western rivers and were very important areas because of their iron industry.”
The Little River, the headwaters of which Hopkinsville is located, is not navigable anywhere in the whole county that Hopkinsville is situated.
There are no iron works or associated industry in Hopkinsville or the county it is situated in, but the counties to the west and south have them.
Page 58:
“The limonite or brown hematite ore was shipped to Clarksville, Nashville or to Ohio. The Clarksville Iron Works made small arms,”
Iron ore was processed at local furnaces. Then the pig iron was sent to local forges and rolling mills in the area or shipped out of the area for further processing.
What is the Clarksville Iron Works? What is the source? The 1859-60 Clarksville City Directory list no such establishment.
Page 59:
“On October 23, 1861, Tilghman arrived at Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He found it in horrible condition.”
It would seem from page 58 that Tilghman had already arrived in Hopkinsville and was arming and training the troops.
Page 84-112:
“Chapter Three: The Battle of Forts Henry and Donelson.”
This needs to be one chapter on the battle of Fort Henry. Donelson is a separate battle.
Only about half of the chapter actually deals with the battle of Fort Henry.
There is too much on the battle of Fort Donelson. Since Tilghman is already a POW and not involved in the battle of Donelson, in-depth details of this battle are unnecessary.
Page 84:
“In the fall of 1861, Colonel Adolphus Heiman and the 10th Tennessee Infantry began work on Forts Henry and Heiman.”
They began work on Fort Henry in the summer of 1861.
Work on Fort Heiman was not begun until the winter of 1861-62.
Page 84:
“Conditions were horrible at both forts, and Tilghman knew about the conditions at Fort Henry and Donelson.”
What are the horrible conditions at the forts?
Tilghman had time to use the slaves and men at his disposal to move Fort Henry down river to Pine Bluff, and/or go ahead and immediately start work on Fort Heiman. Instead Fort Heiman was not started till winter.
As a trained US Army engineer and in command of the twin river forts he had a couple of months to institute changes in the problems he found.
Page 86:
“Tilghman immediately put Col. J. W. Head, commanding the post at Fort Henry”
Col. J. W. Head was in command of the garrison at Fort Donelson, not at Fort Henry.
Page 86-90:
Why all the details on the battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky?
Page 91:
“Colonel John Eugene Smith”
This should probably be General Charles F. Smith as Tilghman’s report mentions his column
Page 91:
What is “Eggher’s” Ferry?
This should be “Eggner’s” Ferry.
Page 92:
“57th Tennessee”
What infantry unit is this?
Page 92:
“town’s water battery.”
What town?
Page 93-94:
“Capt. Milner” and “Captain Milner” as per the Official Records should probably be Captain James F. Melton.
Page 95-96:
“Fort Henry could not make a successful defense of Fort Donelson or hold long enough for the Confederate army at Bowling Green to change their position so that they could move to Columbus, but if the Confederate army moved from Bowling Green to Columbus, the movement would break the Confederate center,”
What is all this garbage?
Page 101:
“The force at Fort Donelson amounted to three regiments of General John Floyd’s, which was about seven thousand men who were not well armed or well drilled,”
Does not make sense?
Floyd’s three regiments could not have been over three thousand men. At full strength a regiment is usually only one thousand men.
Page 101:
“everything_tools”
The underline should be a comma.
Page 102-111:
Much more detail of the Union units engaged in battle of Fort Donelson than the sparse amount dedicated to the Confederate units.
Page 112:
“Middle and Western Tennessee was now denied to the South.”
The surrender of Forts Henry and Donelson did not deny West Tennessee to the Confederacy. Columbus, Kentucky, was still held, as was the rest of the Mississippi River in West Tennessee and all the interior of West Tennessee.
Page 112:
“Missouri was threatened.”
Much of Missouri had already been lost before the battles of Fort Henry and Donelson.
Page 113:
“On the February 18,”
The “the” should be removed.
Page 113:
“George’s Island on the Boston Harbor.”
“on the” should be replaced with “in”
Page 113:
“It held a few smugglers and political prisoners from Maryland and the border states. In August 1861, two thousand Confederate prisoners arrived from Governor’s Island in New York City.”
Maryland was a border state.
So how many prisoners were at Fort Warren? A few or two thousand or what.
Page 114:
“The Generals were put on the same footing as other prisoners of war. They were not allowed to write or receive any letters,”
If they are in close confinement and not allowed use of the mail or any other communication with anyone, how is this on the same footing?
Page 114:
“George Randolf”
Should be “George Randolph.
Pages 115-128:
Too much detail of all the battles going on in the Western Theater during Tilghman’s imprisonment.
Page 115:
Twice has “G. W. Randolf”
Both should be “G. W. Randolph”
Page 133:
Top line has “wounded_Brigadier”
Might the underline supposed to have been a period.
Page 145:
Photograph of letter allowing Tilghman’s remains to be removed to Kentucky.
Then why was his body not moved?
What is the story behind it not being moved to Kentucky?
Page 154-55:
Photographs of church records from Paducah.
Which church are they from?
What is Tilghman’s affiliation with the church?
Page 156-57:
Miscellaneous photographs of cannons and artillery shells.
How do they relate to the story of Tilghman?
Top photograph on page 156 has cemetery spelled wrong.
Page 159:
Photographs of Brig. Gen. John Cook’s wine goblet and dice.
What do they have to do with Tilghman?
Page 161:
Twice has date given with wrong year: December 23, 1863 and December 25, 1863 should both be 1862.
Page 204-5:
Resources: Not in any sort of order, alphabetical, etc.
Page 206-7:
Why is the piece on “The Brown Water Navy” included?
Page 207-10:
Why is the piece on “Brigadier General John Cook” included?
Page 211-18:
Endnotes do not give page numbers for books cited or dates of letters for letters cited.
A serious work on such an historical figure needs to be properly cited.
This work covers much of his military career in the War Between the States and the Mexican War, but not much at all dedicated to his family life.
Lloyd Tilghman owned two slaves in 1860 while living at Paducah—one a black male age 25 and the other a black female age 15, both living in one slave house.
The one good overall point that is made is that Tilghman was a failure as a leader because he often detached himself from the objective of the overall good of the Confederacy. He often placed himself in a minor roll in the picture of a battle sacrificing himself instead of being the leader and keeping the army together with its leader and maybe sacrificing a few for the common good. Those of us that have served in the military know what expendable means and what can be expended and what needs to be saved. Tilghman’s continued role of sacrificing himself demonstrated that he had not learned the proper role of a military leader. Tilghman was a good man but a failure at leadership.
There is very little of real scholarly research evidenced in this book. Most all of the sources are common and the Official Records of the war are available on searchable disk. There are many sources of information easily available on Tilghman not used for this work. With a little effort at research I’m sure that many other primary sources of information on Tilghman could be discovered for a thoroughly well researched book on Tilghman.
In Lt Col. Randall W. McGavocks 1862 journal, published in Pen and Sword: The Life and Journals of Randall W. McGavock, is a profuse amount of first hand information on Tilghman. This is one source that definitely should have been used as a source. When rightly about an important military figure you must always check to see what others that served under and over them had to say about the individual.
My Cave Life in Vicksburg, by Mary Ann Webster Loughborough, gives details of General Tilghman’s remains being brought into Vicksburg following his death.
Ten Month’s in the “Orphan Brigade”: Conrad Wise Chapman’s Civil War Memoir, edited by Ben L. Basham, contains several good pieces of information on Tilghman. Chapman joined Company D of the Third Kentucky Infantry after his meeting with Tilghman at Clarksville, Tennessee, in September 1861. Tilghman was the original organizing captain of this company which was known as the Paducah company.
Forts Henry and Donelson—The Key to the Confederate Heartland, by Benjamin Franklin Cooling, mentions a February 11, 1862 letter from Powhatan Ellis, Jr., Tilghman’s A.A.G, to his mother that talks of the bad feelings that many of the Tennessee troops at Forts Henry and Donelson had towards Tilghman. This letter is found in the Mumford-Ellis papers at Duke University. The letter is very revealing.
A February 2, 1862 letter from Col. James E. Bailey of the 49th Tennessee from Fort Donelson touches on the problem between some of the Tennesseans and Tilghman.
A February 10, 1862 letter from Lt. Col. Harrison C. Lockhart of the 50th Tennessee from Fort Donelson also highlights the problem between Tilghman and the Tennesseans at Fort Donelson.
The June 23, 1862 letter from Lt. Col. Harrison C. Lockhart and the June 30, 1862 letter from Col. Cyrus A. Sugg, both of the 50th Tennessee and POWs at Fort Warren, show that they now praise Tilghman and his actions in relation to Forts Henry and Donelson.
Several of the letters of Wesley H. Fry, of the 50th Tennessee, give insight to what Tilghman considered the proper use of soldiers at Forts Henry and Donelson.
Governor Magoffin’s papers contain several items that relate importantly to Tilghman and his role with the Kentucky State Guard and the secession movement in the Jackson Purchase.
The regional newspapers should have been researched. The 1861 Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis, Tennessee, newspapers contain many articles about Tilghman.
Lloyd Tilghman is a subject worthy of a quality biography, but this is not it. This book should be relegated to the recycle bin.