Finding aid for the Braxton Bragg Papers
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Title: |
Braxton Bragg Papers |
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Repository: |
Western Reserve Historical Society
Phone: 216-721-5722
http://www.wrhs.org
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Creator: |
Bragg, Braxton |
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Dates: |
1833-1879 |
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Quantity: |
2.0 linear feet (4 containers and 5 oversize volumes) |
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Abstract: |
Braxton Bragg (1817-1876) was a Confederate Army officer during the American Civil War, planter, and engineer. The collection
consists of letter books, official and personal communications, reports, orders, and memoranda relating to Bragg's Confederate
Army campaigns and to his service as adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. A few of the papers relate to the Mexican
War, to Bragg's post-Civil War career as a civil and railroad engineer, and to Bragg's funeral.
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Identification: |
MS 2000 |
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Location: |
closed stacks |
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Language: |
The records are in English |
Biography of Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg (1817-1876) was born in Warrenton, North Carolina. He entered the United States Military Academy in 1833 and
graduated four years later with the rank of Second Lieutenant. Bragg served with distinction during the Mexican War, particularly
at Monterey and Buena Vista. In 1849 he married Elise Brooks Ellis, and he resigned his commission in 1856 to farm Bivouac
Plantation in Louisiana. In March of 1861 Bragg was commis­sioned Brigadier General in the Confederate army and given
command of the Army of Pensacola. He saw no military action for eight months, but earned a reputation during this period
as an excellent organizer and a strict disciplinarian.
In April 1862, Bragg headed north to support General Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Mississippi. Bragg fought aggressively
at Shiloh and was commissioned General after that battle. In June, Bragg took command of the Army of Tennessee, and during
the late summer moved north into Kentucky to prevent General Don C. Buell from uniting his forces at Louisville. Bragg captured
Mumfordville and had succeeded in blocking Buell's path when he decided to move to Frankfort to establish a Confederate governorship
and to encourage Kentuckians to join the campaign. Buell quickly united his forces at Louisville and engaged Bragg at Perryville.
Bragg fought to a draw but then retreated into Tennessee, in effect acknowledging the failure of his Kentucky campaign.
Two months later Bragg defeated General William S. Rosecrans at Murfreesboro but failed to exploit his victory. Despite apparent
public dissatisfaction with Bragg, Confederate President Jefferson Davis kept him in command. With Rosecrans in pursuit,
Bragg was forced from Tullahoma and Chattanooga during the summer of 1863. But at Chickamauga on September 19, Bragg attacked
Rosecrans and won a notable victory -- although he again failed to follow up his offensive. The Federals regrouped and General
Ulysses S. Grant attacked Bragg November 23 at Chattanooga. Bragg was forced to retreat to Dalton, Georgia, and on November
30 he resigned his command.
In February 1864 Davis asked Bragg to become his military advisor. Bragg joined Davis in Richmond and served in that capacity
until October, when Davis appointed him to command at Wilmington, North Carolina. Bragg pursued this command with little
success as the Confederate military position disintegrated on all fronts.
After the war Bragg served as a civil and railroad engineer in Alabama and Texas. He died in Galveston, Texas, September
27, 1876.
Scope and Content
The Braxton Bragg Papers, 1833-1879 and undated, consist mainly of Bragg's personal and headquarters papers from the period
of the Civil War. Included is material written to, by or about Bragg, including both personal and official letters, drafts,
reminiscences, journals, clippings, telegrams, records, circulars, orders and reports.
The Bragg Papers provide an extraordinarily detailed view of Braxton Bragg's Confederate military career and of the Civil
War actions in which he was engaged, notably the Battles of Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Perryville and Missionary Ridge. Bragg's
voluminous correspondence with other Confederate commanders and government officials (see Appendices I and II for a selected
list of correspondents) provides valuable insight into the mechanism of reporting and conducting military actions. In particular,
the correspon­dence serves to illuminate the conflicting attitudes about Bragg's aptitude as a commander and offers a
contemporary assessment of his successes. As such, it does seem to offer a corrective to the often negative historical assessment
of Bragg's performance. Also of note in the correspondence are the letters between Bragg and his wife, which offer a highly
personal view of a military commander's life.
Statement of Arrangement
The collection is arranged in three series.
Series I: Headquarters and Personal Papers, mostly dates from Bragg's service in the Confederate army.
Series I also contains a very few papers from the Mexican War, and others relating to Bragg's postwar career as a civil engineer.
Series I is arranged in chronological order, and includes personal and official letters, telegrams, records, reports, orders,
circulars, drafts and memoranda.
Series II: Miscellaneous Files consists of papers from the Medical Department of the Army of Pensacola, and copies of papers
found on Union Colonel Ulrich Dahlgren relating to a plan to assassinate Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
Series II also consists of letters and memoranda to Mrs. Bragg from 1875 to 1879.
Series II also contains the journal of George Brent (Chief of Orders, Army of Tennessee under Bragg), Dr. S. H. Stout's reminiscences
of Bragg, various undated notes and drafts, and mounted and unmounted newspaper clippings relating to Bragg.
Series III: Bound Letter Copy Books, consists of five volumes.
Restrictions on Access
While there are no access restrictions on this collection, researchers will be asked to use the microfilm of this collection.
Related Material: Related Material
The researcher should also consult MS 3947 William P. Palmer Collection of Civil War Manuscripts; MS 3194 Civil War Miscellany;
and MS 2152 Regimental Papers of the Civil War.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects:
Bragg, Braxton, 1817-1876.
Chickamauga, Battle of, 1863.
Confederate States of America. Army -- Officers.
Lookout Montain, Battle of, 1863.
Missionary Ridge (Tenn. and Ga.), Battle of, 1863.
Murfreesboro (Tenn.), Battle of, 1862-1863.
Shiloh, Battle of, Tenn., 1862.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives, Confederate.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources.
Custodial History
The Braxton Bragg Papers were previously processed and described in 1962. This finding aid represents a new arrangement of
the collection created in 1986 which incorporated certain new items in the collection and totally supersedes the previous
finding aid.
Preferred Citation
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 2000 Braxton Bragg Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Acquisition Information
Purchased for the Western Reserve Historical Society by William Pendleton Palmer in 1916.
Additional Bragg materials acquired prior to and subsequent to the purchase have been integrated in the collection.
Processing Information
Processed by Paul Nahra in 1986.
Other Finding Aid
The following is an index to the correspondents represented in this collection:
Adams, Brigadier General Daniel Weissiger - 9/4/64, 9/16/64, 12/22/69 Anderson, Brigadier Patton - 4/15/63, 10/10/63, 3/8/64,
6/17/64 Bate, Major General William Brimage - 8/23/64, 9/28/64, 9/29/67 Beauregard, General Pierre Gustave Toutant - 5/9/62,
7/28/62, 9/2/62 Benjamin, Secretary of War Judah Phillip - 2/8/62, 2/18/62 Bragg, Elise (Mrs. Braxton) - 3/26/61, 3/31/61,
6/7/61, 7/5/61, 8/18/61, 9/7/61, 2/21/62, 3/7/62, 3/16/62, 4/2/62, 4/29/62, 5/5/62, 7/29/62, 8/13/62, 10/15/62, 10/21/62,
12/3/64 Breckenridge, Major General John Cabell - 12/31/62 (2), 1/12/63 Brent, General George William - 3/15/63, 3/18/63,
12/10/63, 12/26/63, 12/31/63, 4/16/64 Brown, Major General John Calvin - 4/15/63 Buckner, Major General Simon Bolivar - 4/26/63
Burnside, Union Major General Ambrose Everett - 5/29/63 Chalmers, Brigadier General James Ronald - 12/19/63 Cheatham, General
Benjamin Franklin - 1/3/62 (2), 1/13/63, 4/20/63 Chilton, Brigadier General Robert Hall - 5/9/62, 10/1/63, 11/11/64 Cleburne,
Major General Patrick Ronayne - 1/13/63 Cobb, Major General Howell - 11/30/63, 8/15/64 Davis, President of the Confederacy
Jefferson - 4/3/61, 6/14/62, 6/17/62, 11/27/63, 6/17/64, 10/15/64 Forrest, Brigadier General Nathan Bedford - 9/4/62, 9/10/62,
9/11/62 Gardner, Brigadier General William Montgomery - 8/13/64 Hampton, Brigadier General Wade - 6/8/64 Hardee, General William
Joseph - 9/8/62, 10/7/62 (3), 10/11/62, 5/23/63 (2), 6/3/63 (2) Hill, Major General Daniel Harvey - 6/11/64 Hood, Lieutenant
General John Bell - 4/13/63, 3/10/64, 4/3/64, 4/13/64, 7/14/64 (2) Jackson, Brigadier General Henry Rootes - 11/25/63, 9/14/64
Jackson, Brigadier General John King - 1/14/63, 1/17/63, 1/10/64 Johnson, Brigadier General Bushrod Rust - 4/17/63 Johnston,
General Joseph Eggleston - 2/27/63, 12/10/63, 7/14/64 Liddell, Brigadier General St. John R. - 4/15/63, 9/14/64 Longstreet,
Lieutenant General James - 11/11/63, 11/18/63 Lovell, Major General Mansfield - 3/27/64 McLaws, Major General Lafayette -
2/25/64, 3/25/64, 4/24/64 Mackall, Brigadier General William Whann - 2/5/63 Marshall, Brigadier General Humphrey - 9/12/62
Maury, Major General Dabny Herndon - 7/5/64, 7/14/64, 8/14/64, 9/17/64 Maxey, Major General Samuel Bell - 8/28/62, 9/29/64
Pegram, Brigadier General John - 12/31/62 Polk, General Leonidas - 10/3/62, 10/4/62, 10/19/62, 1/3/63 (2) Preston, Brigadier
General Thomas - 9/8/64 Roddey, Brigadier General Philip Dale - 12/13/63, 12/20/63, 7/3/64 Sale, Colonel John Burress - 10/15/63,
10/27/64, 11/15/64, 11/20/64, 12/3/64, 12/11/64 Seddon, Secretary of War James Alexander - 9/13/63 Smith, Major General Edmund
Kirby - 7/24/62, 8/9/62, 8/20/62, 9/24/62, 9/27/62, 10/9/62, 10/13/62, 10/14/62, 10/23/62, 10/5/63, 9/24/64 Smith, Major General
Francis Henney - 2/27/64, 7/5/64 Smith, Brigadier General Preston - 1/15/63 Stewart, Lieutenant General Alexander Peter -
3/19/64 Taylor, Lieutenant General Richard - 9/25/64 Walthall, Major General Edward Cary - 12/9/63, 3/11/64, 9/8/64 Wheeler,
Brigadier General Joseph - 1/2/62, 12/30/62, 12/31/62 (2), 1/1/63 (2), 1/4/63 (2), 1/23/63, 10/10/63, 10/12/63, 10/15/63,
12/15/63, 12/26/63, 3/3/64, 4/16/64, 6/5/64, 7/1/64, 8/6/64, 1/14/65, 1/29/65 Withers, Major General Jones Mitchell - 2/3/63
Detailed Description of The Collection
Series I: Headquarters and Personal Papers, 1833-1876
Box 1 / Folder 1
Pre-Civil War and beginning of the Civil War, consisting mostly of copies of Bragg's reports to Adjutant General Samuel Cooper
and dispatches between Bragg and Secretary of War Leroy P. Walker. Also includes a letter from Union Major Henry I. Hunt
and a letter from Confederate President Jefferson Davis (dated April 3, 1861) indicating his willingness to start the war, June 1, 1833-April 30, 1861
Box 1 / Folder 2
Defense of Pensacola, including several letters to and from Mrs. Bragg and Bragg's draft report on the November 22 bombardment
of Pensacola, May -November 30, 1861
Box 1 / Folder 3
Battle of Shiloh, including two letters from Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin transmitting President Davis's orders and
plans for the Army of Tennessee. Also includes Bragg's and several reports from subordinates on the Battle of Shiloh, and
several letters from Mrs. Bragg, January 2-June 29, 1862
Box 1 / Folder 4
Invasion of Kentucky, including several letters from Brigadier General Nathan B. Forrest dealing with his cavalry command
and a captured letter written by General Pierre G. T. Beauregard describing a plan for the invasion of the Ohio Valley (September
2), July 4-September 24, 1862
Box 1 / Folder 5
Battle of Perryville, including reports on the battle by several of Bragg's staff members, September 24-November 1, 1862
Box 1 / Folder 6
Battle of Murfreesboro, including a memorandum from Bragg concerning their battle strategy for Murfreesboro and the post battle
reports of several of Bragg's officers. Also includes several replies to a letter Bragg sent to his commanders asking their
opinion of him and of his effectiveness, November 14, 1862-January 16, 1863
Box 1 / Folder 7
Aftermath, including General Joseph E. Johnston's report to Davis on the state of Bragg's command (February 3) and a draft
of Bragg's report on the Battle of Murfreesboro, January 17-March 9, 1863
Box 2 / Folder 8
Aftermath (continued), including Bragg's appendix to Major General John Breckenridge's report on Murfreesboro, Bragg's circu­lar
to his general officers requesting information about meetings called by General Leonidas Polk at Bardstown and Perryville,
replies to Bragg's circular, and Bragg's report on Perryville and on Polk's command, March 11-May 31, 1863
Box 2 / Folder 9
Tullahoma to Chattanooga, consisting mainly of telegrams and special orders, including several letters and telegrams from
Lieutenant General William J. Hardee, June 1-August 29, 1863
Box 2 / Folder 10
Battle of Chickamauga, including various orders and telegrams from before and after the battle. Also includes Polk's explanation
(September 28) of his failure to attack during the early morning of the second day of battle, a letter from General Robert
H. Chilton, Chief of Staff for General Robert E. Lee, congratulating Bragg for himself and Lee (October 1), and a defense
of Bragg written by Colonel John B. Sale (October 15), September 1-October 31, 1863
Box 2 / Folder 11
Chattanooga (Missionary Ridge) - Bragg Resigns Command, including several reports from officers on Chickamauga, Bragg's draft
report on Missionary Ridge, a telegram from Adjutant General Cooper affirming Bragg's request to be relieved, the draft of
a letter from Bragg to Davis in which Bragg accepts responsibility for Chattanooga ("...justly disparaging to me as a commander"),
and Bragg's official report on Chickamauga, dated December 28. The folder also includes a draft of Bragg's notes on his career,
and various letters of consolation for the loss of his command, November 1-December 31, 1863
Box 2 / Folder 12
"Commander in Chief of the Confederate Forces," consisting primarily of correspondence between Bragg, at Confederate Head­quarters
in Richmond and Confederate officers in Alabama and Georgia. Also includes three letters from Major General John B. Hood
in regard to General Johnston's tactics against General William T. Sherman, January 3-April 30, 1864
Box 2 / Folder 13
Advisor to President Davis, Richmond, Virginia, consisting of detailed accounts (mostly telegrams) of the Meadow Bridge Rd.
battles (May 11, May 12), plus Bragg's notes (written in third person) on his "service in the cause of the Confeder­acy
after leaving the Army of Tennessee in December, 1863", May 1-July 31, 1864
Box 3 / Folder 14
Richmond Headquarters, Wilmington Command, including a letter from President Davis putting Bragg in command at Wilmington,
North Carolina, and several long letters from Bragg's friend Colonel Sale, August 2-December 3, 1864
Box 3 / Folder 15
Bombardment of Fort Fisher, including four officer reports dated December 29 and a ten page report by General Gail Whiting
dated December 30, December 4, 1864-January 2, 1865
Box 3 / Folder 16
Fall of Fort Fisher, including various reports on the fall of Fort Fisher, and Bragg's report (dated January 29), January 3-31, 1865
Box 3 / Folder 17
Fall of Fort Anderson and Withdrawal From Wilmington, containing a note from General Lee directing Bragg to destroy all cotton,
tobacco and naval stores, and several tele­grams concerning the handling of Federal prisoners, February 2-28, 1865
Box 3 / Folder 18
Miscellaneous Papers, including Bragg's final wartime letter to Davis (March 26, 1865) and various papers concerning Bragg's
career as a civil engineer after the war, March 1865-August 1876
Series II: Miscellaneous Files, 1861-1879; undated
Box 3 / Folder 19
Medical Department, Army of Pensacola, consisting of papers from the medical department of the Army of Pensacola, April 17. 1861-February 26, 1862
Box 3 / Folder 20
Copies of Papers Found on Colonel Ulrich Dahlgren on March 4, 1864, including a letter describing Dahlgren's plan to burn
Richmond and assassinate President Davis and his Cabinet, March 4, 1864
Box 3 / Folder 21
Letters and Memoranda to Mrs. Bragg, consisting primarily of documents relating to Bragg's funeral, 1875-1879
Box 4 / Folder 22
Journal, of George Brent, covering his service as Chief of Orders Department, Army of Tennessee (under Bragg). Eleven pages
out of 70, September 8, 1863 - October 28, 1863, written by another hand, October 1, 1862-December 2, 1863
Box 4 / Folder 23
Dr. S. H. Stout, Reminiscences of General Braxton Bragg, manuscript. The reminiscences of Dr. Samuel H. Stout, Medical Director,
Army of Tennessee, December 17, 1876
Box 4 / Folder 24
Notes and Fragments, consisting of various short notes, autographs and reports of troop strength, undated
Box 4 / Folder 25
Newspaper Clippings, including mounted and unmounted clippings of news reports, editorials, and letters to the editor about
Bragg, January 1862-December 1863
Box 4 / Folder 26
Newspaper clippings, including mounted and unmounted clippings of news reports, editorials, letters to the editor and eulogies, March 1864-October 1877
Series III: Bound Letter Copy Books, 1861-1864
Volume 1
Letter Book, Pensacola and Mobile Commands, containing letters and telegrams from Bragg's Pensacola command, March 10, 1861
- January 21, 1862, and letters from General Samuel Jones's Mobile command, February 6, 1862 - July 10, 1862, March 10, 1861-July 10, 1862
Volume 2
Letter and General Service Book, Headquarters, Army of Tennessee, con­taining letters, telegrams, orders and reports from
the headquarters of the Army of Tennessee, February 22, 1863 - December 3, 1863 under Bragg, December 3, 1863 - December 24,
1863 under Lieutenant General William J. Hardee, and December 24, 1863 - March 29, 1864 under General Joseph E. Johnston, February 22, 1863-March 29, 1864
Volume 3
Letter and General Service Book, Headquarters, Army of Tennessee, con­taining letters, telegrams, orders, circulars, and
a list of staff officers, all from September, 1863. Also includes a letter from Bragg to Adjutant General Cooper describing
the battle of Missionary Ridge (dated November 30, 1863), September 8-November 30, 1863