Until Antietam: The Life and Letters of Major General Israel B. Richardson, U.S. Army

258 Pages·2009·4.41 MB·English

by  Jack C. Mason

UNTIL ANTIETAM
The Life and Letters of
Major General
Israel B. Richardson,
U.S. Army
Jack C. Mason
UNTIL ANTIETAM
Mason Frontmatter.indd 1 8/17/09 7:09:19 AM
Mason Frontmatter.indd 2 8/17/09 7:09:22 AM
UNTIL ANTIETAM
(cid:44)
The Life and Letters of
Major General
Israel B. Richardson,
U.S. Army
(cid:44)
Jack C. Mason
Southern Illinois University Press
Carbondale
Mason Frontmatter.indd 3 8/17/09 7:09:22 AM
Copyright © 2009 by the Board of Trustees,
Southern Illinois University
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
12 11 10 09 4 3 2 1
Frontispiece: An early Civil War portrait of Israel B.
Richardson, by L. Prang & Co. of Boston, that was
published in newspapers in fall 1861, as the national
news media promulgated accounts of the new leaders
of the Union Army. (Library of Congress)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mason, Jack C.
Until Antietam : the life and letters of Major General
Israel B. Richardson, U.S. Army / Jack C. Mason.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8093-2947-2 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8093-2947-6 (cloth : alk. paper)
1.Richardson, Israel Bush, 1815–1862. 2.United States.
Army—Officers—Biography. 3.United States. Army of
the Potomac—Officers—Biography. 4.United States—
History—Civil War, 1861–1865—Campaigns. 5.United
States—History—Civil War, 1861–1865—Biography.
6.Mexican War, 1846–1848—Campaigns. 7.Mexican
War, 1846–1848—Biography. 8.Generals—United
States—Biography. I.Title.
E467.1.R54M37 2009
973.7092—dc22
[B] 2009010532
Printed on recycled paper.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of American National Standard for
Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992. ∞
Mason Frontmatter.indd 4 8/17/09 7:09:23 AM
(cid:44)
Contents
(cid:44)
List of Illustrations / vii
Preface / ix
Introduction / 1
1. Novice / 3
2. Apprenticeship / 29
3. Adversity / 62
4. Tutor / 78
5. Opportunity / 110
6. Distinction / 131
7. Destiny / 171
Notes / 205
Bibliography / 219
Index / 227
Mason Frontmatter.indd 5 8/17/09 7:09:23 AM
Mason Frontmatter.indd 6 8/17/09 7:09:23 AM
(cid:44)
Illustrations
(cid:44)
Photographs
Early Civil War portrait of Israel B. Richardson frontispiece
following page 80
Captain Edmund B. Alexander
Ethan Allen Hitchcock
Colonel John Garland
Richardson with his officers of the 2nd Michigan Regiment
Lieutenant General Winfield Scott
Colonel Dixon S. Miles
Brigadier General Israel B. Richardson in formal uniform
seated pose of Richardson, after the First Battle of Bull Run
General Richardson, dressed in the casual style he preferred
Richardson with his staff of 1st Division of II Corps of
Army of the Potomac
Zachariah Chandler, U.S. senator from Michigan
Colonel Edward E. Cross
General Francis Barlow and General Nelson Miles
Thomas Livermore and Charles B. Haydon
Maps
Palo Alto, May 8, 1846 / 21
Resaca de la Palma, May 9, 1846 / 24
Monterrey, September 20–24, 1846 / 28
Cerro Gordo, April 18, 1846 / 44
Contreras and Churubusco, August 20, 1847 / 52
Chapultepec, September 12, 1847 / 59
First Bull Run, July 21, 1861 / 89
Seven Pines, May 31–June 1, 1862 / 138
Seven Days’ Battles, June 25–July 1, 1862 / 155
Antietam, September 17, 1862 / 177
vii
Mason Frontmatter.indd 7 8/17/09 7:09:23 AM
Mason Frontmatter.indd 8 8/17/09 7:09:23 AM
(cid:44)
Preface
(cid:44)
Like Israel Richardson I am the sum total of my lifetime experiences. As a
history fan, I came across the vague story of a seemingly down-to-earth, but
aggressive, fighting general who sacrificed his life for his country at the Battle
of Antietam. Although Richardson’s exploits during the first year of the war
were very important to the cause he fought for, personally, he has become just
a footnote in the multitude of writings concerning our American Civil War.
Living near his last home and final resting place of Pontiac, Michigan, I was
fortunate to discover old, forgotten sources enabling me to piece together his
career and to set forth his story in a way that will help us understand why
Israel Richardson turned out to be the man he was. In another perspective, I
tried to focus not just on Richardson’s deeds but also on the leadership styles
of other officers who, while serving with the man as friends and comrades,
directly affected the development of Richardson’s own manner of leadership
from the beginning of his army life as a cadet to the end of his service as a
major general.
My theory that President Lincoln might have considered Richardson as a
possible candidate to replace GeorgeB. McClellan can be debated by Civil War
scholars much more distinguished than I. The notion surfaced several times
in my research of postwar writings of soldiers of all ranks connected with
Richardson, and probably had its roots in the comments of Captain Charles
S. Draper, Richardson’s aide-de-camp, who was also wounded at Antietam
and shared a bed in the same room. He was the only witness present when
the president visited Richardson to pay his respects after the battle. If I ac-
complished anything with this book, I would hope that history will look more
favorably on this old soldier and give him a greater recognition for his actions
and service to the nation.
In the beginning my goal was to research enough information to publish an
article in one of the military’s professional development journals or a Civil War
history magazine. But over the course of several years, my search became a sort
of detective hunt in which one source led to another. My service as an officer
in the U.S. Army Reserve at Fort Benning led me to microfilmed personnel
ix
Mason Frontmatter.indd 9 8/17/09 7:09:24 AM