Battles And Victories Of Allen Allensworth, A.M., Ph.D., Lieutenant-Colonel, Retired, U.S. Army [Illustrated Edition]

By Charles Alexander

Includes Civil War Map and Illustrations Pack – 224 battle plans, campaign maps and detailed analyses of actions spanning the entire period of hostilities.
The story of Allen Allensworth is one of true strength and courage in adversity to become the first African-American to attain the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the U.S. Army; this was not his only singular distinction by any means. Born into slavery, he escaped by joining the 44th Illinois Volunteers and later served two years in the Navy.
Having studied theology, he was ordained as a minister, and in 1886 he gained an appointment as a military chaplain to a unit of Buffalo Soldiers and served in the US Army for the next 20 years.
He was also notable for founding the township of Allensworth, California in 1908; it was intended as an all-black community to be free of the racial discrimination faced by so many at the turn of the 20th century. Although the town failed due to the environmental conditions that surrounded its founding, the remains are preserved as the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.
A fascinating biography of an influential and pioneering African-American.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Golden Springs Publishing
• Release date: Jun 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781782891222

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Text originally published in 1914 under the same title.

© Pickle Partners Publishing 2013, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

BATTLES AND VICTORIES

OF

ALLEN ALLENSWORTH, A.M., P.H.D.

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL, RETIRED, U. S. ARMY

BY

CHARLES ALEXANDER

TO THE

SAINTED MOTHER

WHO INSPIRED HIS LIFE AND WHOSE

PRAYERS HAVE FOLLOWED HIM,

AND TO HIS

BELOVED WIFE

WHOSE WISE COUNSELS AND UNWAVERING

DEVOTION IN TIMES OF TRIAL AND

DISCOURAGEMENT HAVE BEEN

THE SUPPORT AND

STRENGTH OF THE

HERO OF THIS

NARRATIVE

Contents

FOREWORD 14

PREFACE 14

CHAPTER I 16

THE FOUNDING OF THE NEGRO TOWN IN CALIFORNIA—HOME OF THE FOUNDER—THE ATTITUDE OF COLONEL ALLENSWORTH TOWARD ALL GOOD CAUSES—HE WAS BORN IN KENTUCKY—WORTH OF HIS EXAMPLE TO THE NEGRO—HIS MOTHER—UNLAWFUL FOR NEGROES TO BE CAUGHT READING A BOOK. 16

CHAPTER II 19

PLAYING SCHOOL—THE EFFORT OF HIS FATHER—YOUNG ALLENSWORTH FALLS INTO THE HANDS OF KIND-HEARTED QUAKER WOMAN—HIS HAPPY HOURS TAKE FLIGHT—SENT TO PLANTATION—THE MOTHER'S PRECIOUS GIFT—HIS TRIP DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 19

CHAPTER III 23

THE BLUE-BACK SPELLING BOOK—THE TEMPLE OF KNOWLEDGE—DISSIPATION OF SLAVE-TRADERS ON THE MISSISSIPPI—ALLEN CHARMED BY APPEARANCE OF CABIN BOYS—ON THE PAT SMITH FARM—FIRST IMPRESSIONS—THE BOY IS TORTURED ON ACCOUNT OF MISTAKE OF HIS MISTRESS. 23

CHAPTER IV 28

INTRODUCTION TO THE CHAPTER, SHOWING THE SETTING OF ALLENSWORTH'S LIFE IN THE GREAT DRAMA OF SLAVERY AND ITS ABOLITION—THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN—TEACHING OF THE MORAL LAW—THE INTRODUCTION OF SLAVERY AT JAMESTOWN, VA., 1619—TIES OF FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN POOR WHITES AND SLAVES SEVERED—THE INDIANS—PERVERTED NOTIONS ABOUT GOVERNMENT—THE DESIGN OF GOVERNMENT. 28

CHAPTER V 33

CLAIM MADE BY THOSE FAVORABLE TO SLAVERY—PUBLIC OPINION—LAWS OF THE PERIOD, 1619-1775—DIABOLICAL TREATMENT OF THE SLAVES—HOW VALUES WERE REGARDED—CHANGE OF PUBLIC OPINION—SLAVES NOT PERMITTED TO TESTIFY IN COURTS OF JUSTICE. 33

CHAPTER VI 38

DUTY OF STRONG TOWARD THE WEAK—DOCTRINAIRES CLAIMED SLAVERY DIVINE INSTITUTION—THE BANEFUL INFLUENCE OF CHATTELISM—BRUTALITY OF SLAVEHOLDERS—NO PUNISHMENT FOR MURDER—SLAVE ADVERTISEMENTS SHOWING CHARACTER OF MASTERS. 38

CHAPTER VII 43

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN RESPECT FOR WOMEN IS WANTING—EXTRACTS FROM SOUTHERN NEWSPAPERS—AWFUL SCENES OF BRUTALITY DESCRIBED—THE DOG'S PART IN SLAVE-HUNTING—SHERIFF'S SALE OF SLAVES—FREE MEN NOT FREE—THE RUNAWAY SLAVES—HOW TREATED. 43

CHAPTER VIII 50

JUDGE WILLIAM JAY AND OTHERS—THE SAYINGS OF PATRICK HENRY—GROWTH OF ANTI-SLAVERY SENTIMENT IN THE NORTH—THE ORGANIZATION OF MANUMISSION AND ABOLITION SOCIETIES. 50

CHAPTER IX 52

THE CONTEST OVER MISSOURI—NORTH DIVIDED ON THE SLAVERY QUESTION—WILLIAM JAY'S LETTER—THE WINCHESTER RESOLUTION IN THE INTEREST OF GILBERT HORTON—SLAVERY IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 52

CHAPTER X 57

JOHN BROWN AND HIS MEN—THE STORY OF KANSAS—WHAT WAS THOUGHT OF JOHN BROWN. 57

CHAPTER XI 61

FREDERICK DOUGLASS—DOUGLASS BORN 1817—HIS LANGUAGE HIS CONVICTIONS—DUNBAR'S TRIBUTE TO DOUGLASS—THE INDUSTRY AND SKILL OF DOUGLASS. 61

CHAPTER XII 64

ALLEN'S SUFFERING ON PAT SMITH FARM—STUDIES WHILE FISHING—IN 1855, AT AGE OF 13, MAKES BREAK FOR CANADA—CAPTURED—SOLD AT AUCTION FOR $960—EXPERIENCE IN SLAVE PEN—JOLT TO HIS MORAL SENSIBILITIES WHEN HE LEARNS OF HIS MASTER'S CONDUCT—BACK TO LOUISVILLE. 64

CHAPTER XIII 69

DESCRIPTION OF LOUISVILLE—NUMBER OF NEGRO TROOPS IN CIVIL WAR FROM KENTUCKY—WASHINGTON IRVING'S OBSERVATIONS—RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION DENIED—THE CAT-'O-NINE-TAILS—IMMORAL EXHIBITION—CHARACTERISTICS OF NEGRO IN RELIGIOUS WORSHIP. 69

CHAPTER XIV 75

ALLEN'S RETURN TO LOUISVILLE—THE MEETING WITH HIS BLIND SISTER—COPY OF MANUMITTING PAPERS—PATHETIC MEETING OF HIS MOTHER—HER NOBLE DEEDS IN NEW ORLEANS—HER SON'S HARD PUNISHMENT. 75

CHAPTER XV 78

THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT—THE FICKLIN FARM—SOME SLAVE SUPERSTITIONS—ALLEN TURNS MUSICIAN—IGNORANCE OF NATURE'S LAWS CAUSE MUCH DREAD AMONG THE SLAVES—ALLEN JOINS HOSPITAL CORPS OF 44TH ILLINOIS—FIRST EXPERIENCE ON BATTLE FIELD. 78

CHAPTER XVI 82

UNFRIENDLY ATTITUDE OF MEN TOWARD EACH OTHER—DR. A. J. GORDON'S GREAT HOSPITALITY—ALLEN ENLISTS IN UNITED STATES NAVY—HIS RAPID ADVANCE. 82

CHAPTER XVII 84

ALLENSWORTH ON THE TAWAH—HOW SOME REBEL SOLDIERS WERE TRAPPED BY THEIR WIVES—ALLENSWORTH COMPLETES HIS TERM OF ENLISTMENT—AGAIN ENTERS THE NAVY—IN 1867 ENTERS INTO BUSINESS IN ST. LOUIS—ENTERS SCHOOL. 84

CHAPTER XVIII 87

STARTS OUT AS TEACHER AND MISSIONARY—ENTERS BAPTIST INSTITUTE—PREACHED IN MISSION CHURCH WHILE ATTENDING SCHOOL—ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF STATE UNIVERSITY—INFLUENCE OF NEGRO PREACHERS—HE ENTERS THE PASTORATE. 87

CHAPTER XIX 92

THE IGNORANCE OF THE NEGRO—EDUCATION NEEDED—WHAT CHRISTIANITY ACCOMPLISHES—THE MORAL PHILOSOPHY OF SLAVERY DAYS—WHAT THE WHITE MAN SAYS HE MEANS BY SOCIAL EQUALITY—IN WHATEVER DEGREE BLACK MEN ARE UNEQUAL TO WHITE MEN, WHITE MEN ARE UNEQUAL TO EACH OTHER. 92

CHAPTER XX 94

ALLEN ALLENSWORTH'S VIEW AS TO DUTY OF INDIVIDUAL—HIS WORK AT LOUISVILLE—HIS EDUCATIONAL PLAN IN ADVANCE OF CONTEMPORARIES—LEAVES LOUISVILLE FOR BOWLING GREEN—FINISHED CHURCH BUILDING—ENTERS POLITICS. 94

CHAPTER XXI 97

ALLEN ALLENSWORTH ENTERS LECTURE FIELD—FINE NEWSPAPER COMMENTS ON HIS WORK—HIS LECTURE THE BATTLE OF LIFE AND HOW TO FIGHT IT. 97

THE BATTLE OF LIFE, AND HOW TO FIGHT IT 98

CHAPTER XXII 102

ALLEN ALLENSWORTH STUDIES ORATORY IN PHILADELPHIA—SUFFERS FROM SELF-DEPRECIATION—UNIQUE EXPERIENCE IN JOY STREET BAPTIST CHURCH IN BOSTON—APPOINTED MISSIONARY BY AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY—ATTENDED NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONVENTION—EX-GOV. KELLOGG OF LOUISIANA. 102

CHAPTER XXIII 106

BLESSED WITH TWO DAUGHTERS—SEEKS BETTER ENVIRONMENT—FIRST EFFORT TO SECURE APPOINTMENT IN ARMY—CINCINNATI PAPERS PAY HIM TRIBUTE—APPOINTED CHAPLAIN WHILE PASTOR OF UNION BAPTIST CHURCH IN CINCINNATI, OHIO. 106

CHAPTER XXIV 112

CHURCH TENDERS CHAPLAIN GRAND RECEPTION—DAILY PRESS RECOUNTS HIS WORTH—EXPERIENCE IN HOTEL AT KANSAS CITY—RECEPTION AT THE GARRISON—HIS EFFICIENT WORK IN CULTIVATION OF SOIL—WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN—ARTICLE IN NEW YORK AGE. 112

CHAPTER XXV 117

HOSPITAL WARD FOR CHAPEL AT FORT BAYARD—USE OF STEREOPTICON TO ILLUSTRATE SERMONS AND EDUCATIONAL SUBJECTS—LITERARY ENTERTAINMENTS IN GARRISON—SALT LAKE NEXT STATION—WHAT THE TERM FRIEND MEANT TO DESPONDENT SOLDIER—CHAPLAIN'S SCHOOL WORK—GOES TO MANILA—EDUCATIONAL SERVICE IN PHILIPPINES. 117

CHAPTER XXVI 124

THE MILITARY GARRISON A GOVERNMENT—REQUIREMENTS IN CASE OF FIRE—THE INSPECTION—PAYING SOLDIERS—HOBSON'S CHOICE IN NEGRO REGIMENTS—GOOD STATIONS—JOHN M. LANGSTON—OPPOSITION TO COLORED SOLDIERS—PREACHING IN SALT LAKE CITY CHURCHES. 124

CHAPTER XXVII 130

CHAPLAIN ALLENSWORTH JOINS MCKEAN POST—ELECTED DELEGATE TO CINCINNATI G.A.R. ENCAMPMENT—DELIVERS MEMORIAL DAY ORATION AT SALT LAKE—AT FORT HARRISON—THE TRIAL OF GOINGS—SAMPLE OF OFFICER'S REPORT—RANKING STAFF OFFICERS. 130

CHAPTER XXVIII 136

ETHICS OF ARMY LIFE—CHAPLAIN ALLENSWORTH CALLS ON GOVERNOR—SOCIAL QUESTION—ARMY LIFE HAS VALUABLE LESSONS—FIVE MANLY VIRTUES—SOCIAL LIMITATIONS—ONLY TWO CLASSES OF WOMEN IN ARMY—UNUSUAL MARRIAGE CEREMONY. 136

CHAPTER XXIX 143

RACE PREJUDICE—STRANGE ALCHEMY AT WORK—WHAT THE WHITE MAN MUST LEARN—PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS—CHAPLAIN'S SERVICES IN COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION—SELECTED TO ADDRESS NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION—TO BE A GOOD SOLDIER MAN MUST BE GOOD CITIZEN—THE CHAPLAIN'S ADDRESS IN CANADA. 143

CHAPTER XXX 150

THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR—CHAPLAIN'S ADDRESS TO DEPARTING SOLDIERS—ON RECRUITING DUTY—VISIT TO LOUISVILLE—PECULIAR ADVERTISEMENTS—CHAPLAIN SUCCESSFUL RECRUITING OFFICER—DRAWS ON KENTUCKY FOR 456 MEN. 150

CHAPTER XXXI 157

CHAPLAIN, EXCHANGE OFFICER AT FORT MCDOWELL—JOINS REGIMENT AT FORT HARRISON—ORGANIZES EXCHANGE—BECOMES POST TREASURER—SPLENDID TESTIMONIALS TO THE HEROISM OF NEGRO SOLDIERS—THE CHUG OF BULLETS—HARDSHIPS OF THE PRIVATE SOLDIER—PICTURES OF DISTRESS WERE THE MEN WHO CAME OUT OF THE BATTLE—THE COLOR LINE—EDITORIAL FROM NEW YORK TRIBUNE. 157

THE COLOR LINE— By Alfred Damon Runyon. 160

CHAPTER XXXII 164

TWENTY-FOURTH RETURNS TO FORT DOUGLAS—LETTERS TO CHAPLAIN—TRIP TO THE PHILIPPINES—DESCRIPTION OF SEAPORTS—BURIAL AT SEA—ARRIVAL AT MANILA—HOW MANILA PROVIDES AGAINST EARTHQUAKE. 164

CHAPTER XXXIII 169

CHAPLAIN SUSTAINS PAINFUL INJURY—MANILA PAPER GIVES ACCOUNT—CHAPLAIN TREASURER—ORGANIZED FIRST CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR SOCIETY IN PHILIPPINES—ON RETURN TO UNITED STATES STOPS AT NAGASAKI, YOKOHAMA, AND TOKIO—BATTLE FOR CONFIRMATION AS MAJOR—RETIREMENT—FINE TESTIMONIALS—TEXAN'S RESOLUTION. 169

CHAPTER XXXIV 179

THE RECORD—HARMONY AND CONCORD HIS OBJECT—WHAT THE COLONEL SAW IN HIS DAY—BISHOP CHARLES B. GALLOWAY ON THE NEGRO—WHAT THE NEGRO HAS DONE IN THE LINE OF INVENTION—QUOTATION FROM H. G. WELLS OF ENGLAND. 179

MAPS 185

I – CAMPAIGN AND BATTLE MAPS - 1861 185

Charleston Harbor, Bombardment of Fort Sumter – 12th & 13th April 1861 185

1st Bull Run Campaign – Theatre Overview July 1861 186

Bull Run – 21st July 1861 187

1st Bull Run Campaign – Situation 18th July 1861 188

1st Bull Run Campaign – Situation 21st July 1861 (Morning) 189

1st Bull Run Campaign - 21st July 1861 Actions 1-3 p.m. 190

1st Bull Run Campaign - 21st July 1861 Union Retreat 4 P.M. to Dusk 191

II – CAMPAIGN AND BATTLE MAPS - 1862 192

Battle of Mill Springs – 19th January 1862 (6-8.30 A.M.) Confederate Attacks 192

Battle of Mill Springs – 19th January 1862 (9 A.M.) Union Attacks 194

Forts Henry and Donelson – 6th to 16th February 1862 196

Battle of Fort Donelson – 14th February 1862 197

Battle of Fort Donelson – 15th February 1862 Morning 198

Battle of Fort Donelson – 15th February 1862 Morning 199

New Madrid and Island No. 10 – March 1862 200

Pea Ridge – 5th to 8th March 1862 201

First Battle of Kernstown – 23rd March 1862, 11 – 16:45 202

Shiloh (or Pittsburg Landing) - 6th & 7th April 1862 203

Battle of Shiloh – 6th April 1862 - Morning 204

Battle of Shiloh – 6th April 1862 – P.M. 207

Battle of Yorktown – 5th to 16th April 1862 209

Jackson’s Valley Campaign – 24th to 25th May 1862 - Actions 210

Williamsburg – 5th May 1862 212

Fair Oaks – 31st May to 1st June 1862 213

Battle of Seven Pines – 31st May 1862 214

Seven Days – 26th June to 2nd July 1862 216

Seven Days Battles – 25th June to 1st July 1862 - Overview 218

Seven Days Battles – 26th & 27th June 1862 221

Seven Days Battles – 30th June 1862 223

Seven Days Battles – 1st July 1862 225

Battle of Gaines Mill – 27th June 1862 2.30 P.M. Hill’s Attacks 227

Battle of Gaines Mill – 27th June 1862 3.30 P.M. Ewell’s Attacks 228

Battle of Gaines Mill – 27th June 1862 7 P.M. General Confederate Attacks 229

Pope’s Campaign - 24th August 1862 230

Pope’s Campaign - 28th August 1862 A.M. 231

Pope’s Campaign - 28th August 1862 6 P.M. 232

Second Battle of Bull Run – 28th August 1862 233

Second Battle of Bull Run – 29th August 1862 10 A.M. 234

Second Battle of Bull Run – 29th August 1862 12 P.M. 237

Second Battle of Bull Run – 29th August 1862 5 P.M. 239

Pope’s Campaign – 29th August 1862 Noon. 241

Second Battle of Bull Run – 30th August 1862 3 P.M. 242

Second Battle of Bull Run – 30th August 1862 4.30 P.M. 244

Second Battle of Bull Run – 30th August 1862 5 P.M. 245

Battle of Harpers Ferry – 15th September 1862 246

Antietam – 16th & 17th September 1862 248

Battle of Antietam – 17th September 1862 Overview 249

Battle of Antietam – 17th September 1862 6 A.M. 251

Battle of Antietam – 17th September 1862 7.30 A.M. 253

Battle of Antietam – 17th September 1862 9 A.M. 255

Battle of Antietam – 17th September 1862 10 A.M. 257

Iuka – 19th September 1862 259

Battle of Iuka – 19th September 1862 260

Corinth – 3rd & 4th October 1862 261

Second Battle of Corinth – 3rd October 1862 262

Second Battle of Corinth – 4th October 1862 263

Perryville – 8th October 1862 264

Battle of Perryville – 8th October 1862 – 2 P.M. 265

Battle of Perryville – 8th October 1862 – 3 P.M. 267

Battle of Perryville – 8th October 1862 – 3.45 P.M. 269

Battle of Perryville – 8th October 1862 – 4 P.M. 271

Battle of Perryville – 8th October 1862 – 4.15 P.M. 272

Battle of Perryville – 8th October 1862 – 5.45 P.M. 274

Fredericksburg – 13th December 1862 276

Battle of Fredericksburg – 13th December 1862 Overview 278

Battle of Fredericksburg – 13th December 1862 Sumner’s Assault 280

Battle of Fredericksburg – 13th December 1862 Hooker’s Assault 281

Battle of Chickasaw Bayou – 26th to 29th December 1862 282

Stone’s River – 31st December 1862 283

Battle of Stones River – 30th December 1862 284

Battle of Stones River – 31st December 1862 – 8.00 A.M. 285

Battle of Stones River – 31st December 1862 – 9.45 A.M. 286

Battle of Stones River – 31st December 1862 – 11.00 A.M. 287

III – CAMPAIGN AND BATTLE MAPS - 1863 288

Battle of Stones River – 2nd January 1863 – 4 P.M. 288

Battle of Stones River – 2nd January 1863 – 4 P.M. 289

Battle of Stones River – 2nd January 1863 – 4.45 P.M. 290

Chancellorsville Campaign (Hooker’s Plan) – April 1863 291

Battle of Chancellorsville – 1st May 1863 Actions 293

Battle of Chancellorsville – 2nd May 1863 Actions 294

Chancellorsville – 2nd May 1863 295

Chancellorsville – 3rd to 5th May 1863 296

Battle of Chancellorsville – 3rd May 1863 Actions 6 A.M. 297

Battle of Chancellorsville – 3rd May 1863 Actions 10 A.M. – 5 P.M. 298

Battle of Chancellorsville – 4th to 6th May 1863. 299

Battle of Brandy Station – 8th June 1863 300

Siege of Vicksburg – 25th May to 4th July 1863 301

Siege of Vicksburg – 19th May 1863 - Assaults 304

Siege of Vicksburg – 22nd May 1863 - Assaults 307

Gettysburg – 1st July 1863 309

Battle of Gettysburg – 1st July 1863 Overview 310

Battle of Gettysburg – 1st July 1863 7 A.M. 312

Battle of Gettysburg – 1st July 1863 10 A.M. 313

Battle of Gettysburg – 1st July 1863 10.45 A.M. 314

Battle of Gettysburg – 1st July 1863 11 A.M. 315

Battle of Gettysburg – 1st July 1863 12.30 P.M. 316

Battle of Gettysburg – 1st July 1863 2 P.M. 317

Gettysburg – 2nd to 4th July 1863 318

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Lee’s Plan 319

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Overview 321

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Cemetary Ridge A.M. 323

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Culp’s Hill – Initial Defence 324

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Culp’s Hill – Evening attacks 326

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Hood’s Assaults 328

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Peach Orchard Initial Assaults 329

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Peach Orchard and Cemetary Ridge 330

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Wheatfield – Initial Assaults 331

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Wheatfield – Second Phase 332

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Cemetery Hill Evening 333

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Little Round Top (1) 334

Battle of Gettysburg – 2nd July 1863 Little Round Top (2) 335

Battle of Gettysburg – 3rd July 1863 Overview 336

Battle of Gettysburg – 3rd July 1863 – Pickett’s Charge 338

Battle of Gettysburg – 3rd July 1863 – Pickett’s Charge Detail 341

Battle of Gettysburg – 3rd July 1863 Culp’s Hill – Johnson’s Third Attack 342

Battle of Gettysburg – 3rd July 1863 East Cavalry Field – Opening Positions 344

Battle of Gettysburg – 3rd July 1863 East Cavalry Field – First Phase 346

Battle of Gettysburg – 3rd July 1863 East Cavalry Field – Second Phase 348

Battle of Gettysburg – 3rd July 1863 South Cavalry Field 350

Battle of Gettysburg – Battlefield Overview 351

Fight at Monterey Pass – 4th to 5th July 1863 353

Chickamauga – 19th & 20th September 1863 354

Chickamauga Campaign – Davis’s Crossroads – 11th September 1863 355

Chickamauga Campaign – 18th September 1863 After Dark 357

Battle of Chickamauga – 19th September 1863 Morning 358

Battle of Chickamauga – 19th September 1863 Early Afternoon 359

Battle of Chickamauga – 19th September 1863 Early Afternoon 360

Battle of Chickamauga – 20th September 1863 9 A.M. to 11 A.M. 361

Battle of Chickamauga – 20th September 1863 11 A.M. to Mid-Afternoon 362

Battle of Chickamauga – 20th September 1863 Mid-Afternoon to Dark 363

Battle of Chickamauga – 20th September 1863 Brigade Details 364

Chattanooga – 23rd to 25th November 1863 365

Chattanooga Campaign – 24th & 25th November 1863 366

Chattanooga Campaign – Federal Supply Lines and Wheeler’s Raid 367

Battle of Missionary Ridge – 25th November 1863 368

Mine Run – 26th to 30th November 1863 371

IV – CAMPAIGN AND BATTLE MAPS - 1864 372

Siege of Petersburg – Actions 29th to 31st March 1864 372

Wilderness – 5th & 6th May 1864 374

Battle of the Wilderness – 5th May 1864 – Positions 7 A.M. 375

Battle of the Wilderness – 5th May 1864 - Actions 376

Battle of the Wilderness – 6th May 1864 – Actions 5 A.M. 377

Battle of the Wilderness – 6th May 1864 – Actions 6 A.M. 378

Battle of the Wilderness – 6th May 1864 – Actions 11 A.M. 379

Battle of the Wilderness – 6th May 1864 – Actions 2 P.M. 380

Spotsylvania – 8th to 21st May 1864 381

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House – 7th & 8th May 1864 - Movements 382

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House – 8th May 1864 - Actions 383

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House – 9th May 1864 - Actions 384

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House – 10th May 1864 - Actions 385

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House – 12th May 1864 - Actions 386

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House – 13th May 1864 - Actions 387

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House – 17th May 1864 - Actions 388

North Anna – 23rd to 26th May 1864 389

Battle of North Anna – 23rd May 1864 390

Battle of North Anna – 24th May 1864 391

Battle of North Anna – 25th May 1864 392

Battle of Haw’s Shop – 28th May 1864 393

Battle of Bethseda Church (1) – 30th May 1864 394

Battle of Bethseda Church (2) – 30th May 1864 395

Cold Harbor – 31st May to 12th June 1864 396

Battle of Cold Harbor – 1st June 1864 397

Battle of Cold Harbor – 3rd June 1864 399

Pickett’s Mills and New Hope Church – 25th to 27th May 1864 401

Battle of Kennesaw Mountain – 27th June 1864 402

Siege of Petersburg – Actions 15th to 18th June 1864 404

Siege of Petersburg – Actions 21st to 22nd June 1864 405

Siege of Petersburg – Actions 30th July 1864 406

Wilson-Kautz Raid – 22nd June to 1st July 1864 407

First Battle of Deep Bottom – 27th to 29th July 1864 408

Second Battle of Deep Bottom – 14th to 20th August 1864 409

Siege of Petersburg – Actions 18th to 19th August 1864 410

Opequon, or Winchester, Va. – 19th September 1864 411

Fisher’s Hill – 22nd September 1864 412

Siege of Petersburg – Actions 27th October 1864 413

Cedar Creek – 19th October 1864 416

Battle of Cedar Creek – 19th October 1864 5-9 A.M. Confederate Attacks 417

Battle of Spring Hill – 29th November 1864 – Afternoon 419

Battle of Spring Hill – 29th November 1864 – Evening 422

Battle of Cedar Creek – 19th October 1864 4-5 P.M. Union Counterattack 425

Franklin – 30th November 1864 426

Battle of Franklin – Hood’s Approach 30th November 1864 427

Battle of Franklin – 30th November 1864 Actions after 4.30 P.M. 430

Nashville – 15th & 16th December 1864 431

V – OVERVIEWS 432

1 – Map of the States that Succeeded – 1860-1861 432

Fort Henry Campaign – February 1862 434

Forts Henry and Donelson – February 1862 435

Jackson’s Valley Campaign – 23rd March to 8th May 1862 436

Peninsula Campaign – 17th March to 31st May 1862 437

Jackson’s Valley Campaign – 21st May to 9th June 1862 439

Northern Virginia Campaign – 7th to 28th August 1862 440

Maryland Campaign – September 1862 441

Iuka-Corinth Campaign – First Phase – 10th to 19th September 1862 443

Iuka-Corinth Campaign – Second Phase – 20th September – 3rd October 1862 444

Fredericksburg Campaign – Movements mid-November to 10th December 1862 445

Memphis to Vicksburg – 1862-1863 446

Operations Against Vicksburg and Grant’s Bayou Operations – November 1862 to April 1863 447

Campaign Against Vicksburg – 1863 449

Grant’s Operations Against Vicksburg – April to July 1863 451

Knoxville Campaign - 1863 452

Tullahoma Campaign – 24th June – 3rd July 1863 453

Rosecrans’ Manoeuvre – 20th August to 17th September 1963 455

Bristoe Campaign – 9th October to 9th November 1863 456

Mine Run Campaign – 27th November 1863 – 2nd December 1863 457

Grant’s Overland Campaign – Wilderness to North Anna - 1864 458

Grant’s Overland Campaign – May to June 1864 459

Overland Campaign – 4th  May 1864 461

Overland Campaign – 27th to 29th May 1864 462

Overland Campaign –29th to 30th May 1864 464

Overland Campaign – 1st June 1864 – Afternoon 467

Sheridan’s Richmond Raid – 9th to 14th May 1864 468

Sheridan’s Trevilian Station Raid – 7th to 10th June 1864 470

Sheridan’s Trevilian Station Raid – 7th to 10th June 1864 471

Battle of Trevilian Station Raid – 11th June 1864 473

Battle of Trevilian Station Raid – 12th June 1864 474

Shenandoah Valley Campaign – May to July 1864 475

Operations about Marietta – 14th to 28th June 1864 478

Atlanta Campaign – 7th May to 2nd July 1864 479

Operations about Atlanta – 17th July to 2nd September 1864 481

Richmond-Petersburg Campaign – Position Fall 1864 482

Shenandoah Valley Campaign – 20th August – October 1864 484

Sherman’s March to the Sea 487

Franklin-Nashville Campaign – 21st to 28th November 1864 489

Operations about Petersburg – June 1864 to April 1865 491

Carolinas Campaign – February to April 1865 493

Appomattox Campaign - 1865 495

FOREWORD

In this book is written the marvelous and inspiring life-story of a man of the Negro race who rose up from the most abject condition of birth and environment to dignity and honor, power and authority, before the snows of the winter age had whitened his head.

The descendant of ancestors who had been dragged from the jungles of Africa into the slavery of the American cotton field, himself born in slavery and sold as a human chattel on the block of the slave market of Henderson, Kentucky, this man fought his way with a dogged persistence and a sublime courage to a place of peerage in the affairs of the nation that had shackled himself and his fathers. Withal, he preserved throughout his life a nobility of character and a gentleness of soul which saved him to blithe and serene living, and which leaves him now, in the twilight of his days, at peace with the world, honored by the community where he lives, distinguished in the service he rendered the nation which had enslaved him, loved by all who know him without regard to race or creed—a man of deeds and Christian charity.

Colonel Allen Allensworth is my friend, and I am proud to call him such. All men would be the better for knowing him, and every man and woman, boy and girl, white or black, will receive both inspiration and a deep sense of pleasure for reading this his Battles and Victories.

JOHN STEVEN MCGROARTY.

LOS ANGELES,

CALIFORNIA.

PREFACE

Herein the reader will find a story—an unvarnished tale—the faithful record of a busy, courageous, consecrated, useful life. The battles of this man were hard battles; but the victories have been complete. Colonel Allen Allensworth is one of the heroes of our generation—a strong link in the chain which binds the strenuous present to a fast fading past. While reaching forward to his seventy-third birthday, he is still possessed of a buoyant, youthful spirit, and is ever active in good works for the elevation of his race. Young men of the Negro race of the present generation need the stimulus of his example to support them in their hardships and difficulties.

Slavery had its baneful effects upon the white man as well as upon the black man. Both suffered by the institution. The slaveholder, as well as the slave, was the victim of the system. A man's character invariably takes its hue from the condition and color of the things about him. This is an inexorable law. In the peculiar relation of slave and master there was hardly room for the development of honorable character by either. In the case of the master, reason was imprisoned, and too often the passions of the idle master ran wild. His authority and power permitted excesses too despicable to mention. The system of slavery marred the master's social life; poisoned the spring of his domestic stream; robbed statesmen of their dignity (for they had to  resort to low cunning and base methods and sophistries in order to harmonize the contending forces in the body politic); it distorted and fairly prostituted public opinion, stultifying and strangling the noblest sentiments of the human heart. In nearly every section of the country the system put to silence the conscience of the public press; forced pious churchmen,—professed men of God,—to bow low in the very dust before its unrelenting power; and even judges of the courts and governors of the states were subjugated to its compelling behests.

It is fortunate that there are still alive men of intelligence and high character of the ex-slave class who have vivid recollections of the terrible cruelties of slavery in the United States. Words from their quivering lips tell the story of the onward and upward march of the Negro. These men are furnishing the final chapters of the awful American drama. Their narratives contain the tragic elements in a marked degree.

While the struggling army of those who came up out of the seething vortex of degradation, with tattered garbs, bruised and bleeding backs, without land, or home, or property of any sort; with poverty facing them at every turn; while this army is rapidly thinning, yet the soft, weak, trembling voice, freighted with sorrow and grief, telling of man's inhumanity to man, is still distinctly audible to those who will hear. Though this thin army is reaching the vanishing point along the distant horizon, faint echoes of the pathetic sorrow-song can plainly be heard.

The experiences of those who lived under the system of slavery have not all been faithfully recorded. The battles for existence have been too engrossing. Few have had the time or inclination to set forth what they knew about the ante-bellum period. Those experiences were varied, no two of them were exactly the same; but each story brings back afresh to our memories the distressing pictures of an almost forgotten past. The faithful record compels our attention, our sympathetic interest. These thrilling chapters, among the last of the great American drama, reveal an ever unfolding scroll, full writ, telling of the cruelty, wickedness, iniquity, injustice, wrong, lasciviousness and the wanton criminality of the white man.

The brief glimpse of slavery given in connection with the story of a single human life is intended to refresh the memory of the reader that he may better understand the enthralled condition of the humble slaves during the dark period in which the institution of slavery flourished; and it is intended also to draw the reader's attention to the moral force largely responsible for the extinction of the institution. There is no wish on the part of the writer to ignore any noble character worthy of mention with Frederick Douglass and John Brown; these names are given place in the book because they furnished Allen Allensworth with ideals of courage, perseverance and sacrifice, rare in any race, and they have aided the writer to a more enthusiastic appreciation of the constructive work of his hero, and his splendid moral and intellectual attainments.

The present generation may tire of the sad and sometimes bitter plaint of those who have come up from slavery; their recognition is not yet full and free; strict limitations are still hedging them about. But the future race must know of the splendid battles,—the battles of industry, economy, thrift, enterprise, truth-telling, high moral living, distinguished service to others, our hero has fought and so gloriously won. The slow, steady climb up from the lowly estate of slavery to one of the most honorable positions in the gift of a great nation, the reward of merit, required something more than mere physical effort. This climb required, first of all, character. Colonel Allen Allensworth has won his victories; and the future generations must know about them. They will afford inspiration to the ambitious. And so, we lay this, our story of the trials and tribulations, joys and triumphs of a true, good man before you. Read it and think of the marvelous possibilities of your life, if you, like Colonel Allensworth, will live up to the highest light in your soul; if you, cherishing lofty ideals, keeping your mind pure and without bitterness of spirit, hatred or malice, will forge your way to the front in the battle of life and make sure of certain and uncontested victories.

CHARLES ALEXANDER.

LOS ANGELES,

CALIFORNIA.

BATTLES AND VICTORIES  OF ALLEN ALLENSWORTH

CHAPTER I

THE FOUNDING OF THE NEGRO TOWN IN CALIFORNIA—HOME OF THE FOUNDER—THE ATTITUDE OF COLONEL ALLENSWORTH TOWARD ALL GOOD CAUSES—HE WAS BORN IN KENTUCKY—WORTH OF HIS EXAMPLE TO THE NEGRO—HIS MOTHER—UNLAWFUL FOR NEGROES TO BE CAUGHT READING A BOOK.

In Southern California, in a small Negro community named in his honor, lives Colonel Allen Allensworth, a retired Army Chaplain, and his devoted wife. This community is located in the San Joaquin Valley, between Bakersfield, which is at the south, and Fresno, which is at the north, on the Santa Fé Railroad. The town is a little more than six years old. The people at Allensworth belong chiefly to an aspiring, self-respecting, self-supporting middle class—a class largely moved by the independent spirit to break away from the servant class and try their hand at agriculture and trade on their own responsibility.

In all there are about 160 souls at Allensworth. They are all farmers, dairymen and traders. There is a hotel, with good accommodations and low rates; plenty of cool, refreshing water; several good country stores, a post-office, a railroad station with telephone and telegraph offices, and a large grain storage warehouse for the farmers of the district. The Negroes of this town are hard workers. They are prosperous, happy and contented.

The beautiful home in which the founder of the colony lives is simple in construction, but commodious. Its furnishings reflect the ideals and the character of the dwellers therein. Taste and culture are the outward expressions of the inner life; and they are exhibited here in a marked degree. For both Colonel Allensworth and his wife are educated and cultured people, who have seen life in its various phases and have agreed that the simple, pastoral life is the best for genuine happiness. That mysterious faculty called taste, which every man and woman must inevitably manifest at some time and in some degree, is quietly and beautifully developed and exhibited in this peaceful and altogether delightful home. While the rooms are not lavishly furnished with costly bric-a-brac, or expensive paintings, good taste is shown in every detail. There is a harmonious blending of colors in the pictures and paper on the walls and the furniture. There is nothing in the house which is not indispensable to the comfort of those living therein. On every hand are evidences of sound Christian training. The love of the Bible is manifested. Here is the home life of a man of true character. Colonel Allensworth is a clergyman, a man of God. He has walked among his fellows, a modest, humble, unobtrusive, God-fearing man, and with no aid save an indomitable courage he has made his way to the front at a time when getting to the front was most difficult.

Every true mother, whatever her station in life, wants her son to live a clean, pure, useful life, and is anxious that when he becomes a man he shall fill an honorable place among his people. So, though born in slavery, and handicapped by all the tricks of that awful institution, the humble mother of Allensworth prayed that God would keep her son clean; that He would give him courage, and will power and self-control to persevere in good works; that he should bear himself so as not to incur abuse or vilification, carrying his share of the responsibility of life with intelligence; and that in every relation of life, as brother, husband, and father, in spirit and letter he should endeavor to prove himself true and faithful.

After his emancipation, Allensworth gave himself to the support of every good cause, and his usefulness in the communities where he lived won for him that recognition which called him finally to the service of his country as a chaplain in the Army. His spirit was touched by the lowly condition of his people, with whom he was surrounded, and his pity, his indignation at the injustices they had to endure, his zeal for their relief and improvement, and his remarkable self-control under many provocations made him a valuable citizen. The simplicity of his life and the splendid toleration of his spirit made him a good counselor and a wise leader. It is difficult fully to estimate the variety and value of his services both in civil and military life, for he has not only been a forceful and eloquent preacher, an indefatigable and successful school-teacher, but a gallant soldier and now the founder of a flourishing Negro town.

Colonel Allensworth has lived through the most interesting and thrilling period of American history. When his prayers and the prayers of thousands of others were ascending to God that in some way He might bring deliverance to the slaves from their terrible thraldom, he did not dream, nor did anybody dream what the firing on Fort Sumter meant. Nobody thought that four long years of the bitterest war in history would follow; that fathers and brothers would be slain by the thousand; that families would be separated, divided forever; that business throughout the land would be paralyzed; that factories would be closed indefinitely; commerce blocked; traffic cut off; the best of friends made, in a brief period, the bitterest of enemies; but out of it all, after the fires had gone out, the smoke vanished from the distant horizon, freedom, blessed freedom was to come to the oppressed Negroes and the stern responsibilities of citizenship were to be imposed upon them. Having lived through this, he has striven to justify it all by his upright living and his manly attitude on all important public questions.

Colonel Allensworth was born in Kentucky. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, though he has lived to use many. He was born in slavery, and those familiar with the history of that institution, know what that means. He was determined, even in his youth, to make his way in life and by his indomitable courage he has succeeded. He realized after the Civil War that to live in the United States is a fine thing after all. In his youth the world was to him, as it is to most boys, a great big, mysterious place, which he could not and did not try to comprehend. The grandeur of the innumerable stars studding the heavens, the everlasting puzzle of the great, silent, towering mountain peaks, the soft, curling mists reflecting the effulgent rays of the morning sun, that roll gently and quietly over the hill-tops from the deep luxuriant valleys, the flowers of the fields in their beauty, the sparkling dewdrops in their mellow splendor, were all objects of wonder and admiration to him, and as he grew older and saw and felt and experienced life's strange variabilities, the world became more mysterious to him. He looked out upon life, as a great ocean and in a vague way imagined great ships sailing by in their calm, steady, majestic movements; their curious air of travel; their great white spreading sails; their complicated riggings and towering masts, creating the feeling that they must have come from some distant land, where strange people live, and were bound for unknown shores. The vision charmed and fascinated him. He wanted to see the world. He wanted to understand more of life and its purposes. Like the curious boy at the circus, he longed to see it all, and hence his striving, even to this day. Although he has played an important part in the tragedy of color and the drama of prejudice in this country, his activities have not ceased. He is still doing a large share in solving a problem of which he is a conspicuous part. How well he has done and is doing his part succeeding chapters of this book will tell.

Colonel Allensworth has long since learned that the individual man cannot see all of life—this is only done by the larger groups and they must be scattered over the world. Each life is circumscribed or travels in a circle. Some men live to cultivate the soil that others may engage in other equally useful pursuits; some stand at the spindles and the looms that others may be clothed; some hammer the rough metals into useful tools and implements that others may have no excuse to shirk labor; some fashion wood into needed forms that others may enjoy comfort; some cook and wash and build, while others enjoy the pleasures of travel or repose in luxury. Only a few may travel and study and impart wisdom. Some lives are dull and grey and uneventful, others, impelled by a strong wandering instinct, are filled with the knowledge gained by travel, and reflect an inspiring light to those with whom they come in contact. And so it is with Colonel Allensworth. Considering the space of time over which he has passed, considering his early handicaps of slavery, ignorance, superstition, enforced degradation; considering the uncertain outlook of his youth, and the heroic manner in which he has overcome some of his handicaps such as hereditary weaknesses, ignorance and superstition, and the remarkable progress he has made in the