The Camden Expedition of 1864

by Michael J Forsyth

  Steele’s most important subordinate in the Camden Expedition was a driven frontier lawyer-turned-general, John M. Thayer. Thayer epitomized the Union soldier from the Midwest and it was appropriate that he commanded the Frontier Division. Thayer, like Steele, came from the humblest of beginnings. Thayer was born in Bellingham, Massachusetts, on January 24, 1820, to Elias and Ruth Thayer. His father held a captain’s commission in the army and had fought in the War of 1812. John was the eighth generation of the Thayer family in America. The family arrived in the colonies in 1635 and family members took great pride in the fact that the males had all served in the colonial militia or American army.22

  John Thayer was the youngest of nine children and grew up on the family farm. Little is known of his early life, but one could surmise that his father put him to work at an early age on farm chores. In addition, as the youngest Thayer he likely took part in his share of mischief directed at his older siblings. His childhood would be cut short though, as his father died suddenly when John was twelve. With only two other siblings remaining at home “much care and responsibility … fell upon his shoulders” for the care of his mother. The family attempted to maintain the farm, but it proved too difficult and Ruth Thayer sold the land in favor of moving to a smaller home.23

  In spite of the family hardships, Thayer’s mother did not neglect young John’s education. She sent him to prepare for college under the tutelage of Reverend Calvin Newton. Although not noted for his intellectual attainment, Thayer performed well enough to earn admission to Brown in 1837. He developed a keen interest in history and classical literature at Brown. Between class terms Thayer taught primary school to earn tuition. He graduated in 1841 with honors and entered into a law apprenticeship under Isaac Davis of Worcester.24

  Thayer spent the next thirteen years practicing law in Massachusetts working various legal matters ranging from land claims to pensions. He had a keen interest in moving west to join the rush to open the continent. He felt the push westward offered him the best opportunity “to make a name for himself.” Yet, his devotion to his widowed mother would not allow him to make the journey.25 Loyalty is a key trait of Thayer’s character as a man. Though he had great ambition to achieve a high position in society, he was unwilling to sacrifice his relationship with his mother for personal advancement. Throughout trying days during the Camden Expedition Thayer provided solid support to his commander, Fred Steele, demonstrating his loyalty.

  Thayer’s mother died in the early 1850s and within a year John made the trek west settling in Nebraska. Nebraska in the 1850s was a howling wilderness fraught with many dangers including hostile Indians. Nevertheless, Thayer became one of the founding fathers of present-day Omaha and a leading citizen of the fledgling territory. He believed Omaha’s position on the Missouri River made the location the perfect site to act as the gateway to the west.26 He would gain his initial military experience protecting the portal.

  Indian uprisings among the Pawnee nation forced the territorial legislature to raise a militia force to quell the unrest. Thayer commanded great respect within the body and as a result the legislature commissioned him as a brigadier general in charge of the territorial militia. The Pawnees were upset over white encroachment on their hunting grounds and began raiding in wide swaths across the countryside. It was during their raid of the Elkhorn Valley that Thayer soundly defeated the Pawnees and gained invaluable combat experience. The victory over the tribe demonstrated Thayer’s force of will and audacity. Though his territorial militia stood outnumbered 1,500 braves to 200 soldiers, he decisively defeated the foe. In addition, he placed the governor, who had accompanied the march, under arrest for issuing orders directly to his subordinates while intoxicated.27 Throughout the Civil War Thayer would exhibit cool leadership under tough circumstances combined with bold determination.

  The Pawnees never again rose up against white settlement in Nebraska, but Thayer’s talent for combat leadership was not to end. By 1860 the sectional crisis placed Nebraska at center stage of the controversy and Thayer would play a major role in the state’s contribution to the preservation of the Union.

  Upon the outbreak of the war the various states answered Lincoln’s call for volunteers by providing levies of the young men. Nebraska, although still a territory, contributed more than its share as Thayer raised the 1st Regiment of Nebraska Volunteers. Raising the thousand-man contingent from the territory represents a remarkable feat considering the total population of the territory did not exceed 28,000. Commissioned colonel of the regiment, Thayer marched them to St. Louis to join Union forces gathering in the city. The 1st Nebraska would become part of the nucleus of the army commanded by U. S. Grant in the first Federal drive south.28

  Thayer became something of a minor hero within the Army of the Tennessee in short order. In January 1862 Grant began assembling his forces for a drive into the Tennessee Valley. His initial target was the twin forts guarding the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. The fall of Forts Henry and Donelson would open up the Confederate heartland to invasion and expose critical industrial and agricultural regions to destruction. Grant launched the offensive in the first week of February and achieved satisfying success at a time when Union morale was at low ebb. Fort Henry easily fell almost exclusively by naval bombardment, but Fort Donelson proved a tougher nut to crack. Garrisoned by 17,000 troops and situated on a hill overlooking the Cumberland, Donelson first battered the Union navy and then repulsed an assault by Grant’s army from its land face.

  On the second day of the battle the Confederates attempted to break out of the slowly tightening noose Grant was applying to the Fort. The foray threatened to unhinge the siege as the Rebels pushed Federal forces off a key escape route. Acting quickly, Grant ordered the gap plugged. Into the breach Brigadier General Lew Wallace sent elements of his division including a newly formed brigade commanded by John M. Thayer.29

  Wallace noted a “stampede” streaming from the front as he pushed his division through stragglers and walking wounded. As the division approached the battlefront, Wallace placed Thayer at a critical location on the Wynn’s Ferry Road. Thayer coolly deployed his brigade squarely along the axis of the Rebel attack. As he supervised the placement the Federals could clearly see the Rebels “coming up the road.” Thayer’s men waited until the Confederates moved to within a few paces and then opened fire. The gray infantry tumbled before the fire but reformed to attack again. Thayer’s men held against three separate assaults enabling Grant to seal off the break in his lines. Thayer’s stalwart defense at Fort Donelson singled him out for praise from Grant in his official report.30 Thayer at Fort Donelson proved himself as he had against the Plains Indians—a reliable, unflappable leader in combat. He would retain and build on this reputation throughout the war.

  Grant’s army followed up the victory at Fort Donelson pushing deep into Rebel territory to sweep the Tennessee Valley clean. In the first week of April the army camped at Pittsburg Landing where they would soon engage in an epic struggle. Thayer would again distinguish himself in battle winning the recognition of his superiors. Thayer’s 2nd Brigade of Lew Wallace’s Division spent the first day of the battle of Shiloh floundering about as conflicting march orders kept them out of the fight. Disaster nearly befell Grant’s army on April 6 as General Albert S. Johnston’s Confederate army surprised Grant’s unsuspecting bivouac. Grant’s skill and determination allowed the army to hold as darkness came on that evening.

  Wallace’s Division arrived on the field after dark on the 6th and immediately filed into line of battle to help stiffen the right flank of the Union defenses. At 5 A.M., April 7th, Wallace gave the order to move forward in accordance with Grant’s counterattack along the whole front. Thayer’s brigade hit the left flank of the Confederate line. Advancing through deep ravines and heavy timber, Thayer wheeled the brigade maintaining alignment “as unbroken as upon the parade ground.” Wallace’s Division broke through Confederate resistance in the early afternoon and continued to p
ursue until 5 P.M. While Grant doled out criticism of Lew Wallace’s ineffectual performance at Shiloh, Thayer once again found favor as he received a promotion to brigadier general for his service.31

  Thayer’s next major engagement came at Vicksburg. It was during the long effort to take the citadel that Thayer first served under the command of Frederick Steele. Thayer became a stalwart, dependable leader within the division leading key assaults at Chickasaw Bluffs in 1862 and on the Vicksburg fortifications in May 1863. At Chickasaw Bluffs his brigade gained an advanced position, but was forced to retire as supporting units failed to render timely assistance. Thayer’s brigade suffered severe losses in the assault and Thayer’s son claimed later that the general wept at receiving the order to retreat. Throughout the arduous campaign to take Vicksburg Thayer performed in an exemplary manner. He worked well with Steele as well as his peers earning the recognition of corps commander William T. Sherman. When Steele left to assume his new command in Arkansas, Sherman chose Thayer to succeed him.32

  Thayer would remain in command of Steele’s old division and participated in Sherman’s Meridian Campaign. Competent commanders were in short supply for the Union west of the Mississippi just as in the Confederacy. In order to shore up the rickety command situation the War Department transferred him to Steele’s Department of Arkansas. Thayer assumed command of the District of the Frontier on February 22, 1864, reuniting him with his former division commander. The troops in the district became known as the Frontier Division and would assume a major role in the upcoming Camden Expedition.33 The solid working relationship established between Steele and Thayer at Vicksburg would receive a severe test during the expedition, but Thayer’s loyalty and determination would bear up well against the strain.

  Eugene A. Carr commanded Steele’s cavalry division in the Camden Expedition. Carr also descended from several generations of Americans. His family arrived in Rhode Island in 1631 among the earliest of the colonists. Carr’s forebears worked in various occupations—they ranged from ministers to legislators to colonial militia officers. The family—as in the case of the Steeles and Thayers—typified the early American experience. Eugene Asa was born to Clark and Delia Carr on March 10, 1830, in Erie County, New York. All that is known of his adolescence is anecdotes related by the general in his later years. However, by his own account, Carr led a happy childhood.34

  Tragedy beset Carr at age nine when his mother died unexpectedly. Carr’s aunt—his father’s sister—assisted the young family in their time of need and as a result Eugene developed a close relationship with her. As the oldest sibling additional responsibility fell to Eugene in maintaining the household.35 A deep sense of duty was a hallmark of Carr’s character and career and it probably germinated from the loss of his mother.

  Having rarely ventured out of Erie County he received an appointment to West Point at the young age of sixteen. His nomination to the academy would begin a long military career characterized by much travel and numerous battles. He entered the “Point” on September 1, 1846, at the start of the Mexican War. While Carr demonstrated excellent academic skill his conduct left much to be desired. He maintained a class standing in course study consistently in the upper third of the class. However, his penchant for horseplay kept him near the bottom in demerits. Nevertheless, he graduated high enough to earn a much-desired commission in the cavalry.36

  One of the subjects Carr excelled in at West Point was ethics. A prominent point of emphasis in the course was the concept of devotion to duty. One biographer suggests that Carr’s dedication as an officer resulted in large part from this course. The program of study stated that “the officer has no right to question the goodness or wisdom” of an order, “his only duty is to execute it.”37 The influence on his character evidenced itself in the Camden Expedition. While Carr would staunchly fight for the welfare of his men, he would always give loyal service to Steele in the spring of 1864.

  Carr graduated from West Point on July 1, 1850, with an appointment as brevet second lieutenant. His orders assigned him to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment (at that time known as the Regiment of Mounted Rifles) at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. The 3rd Cavalry contained a large proportion of southern officers who would offer their services to the Confederacy. Ironically, Carr’s company commander, John G. Walker, would oppose him on the battlefield during the Camden Expedition. Over the course of the next ten years Carr bounced around from frontier post to post engaged in mostly uneventful, mundane duties of an old army officer. He did receive his baptism of fire while posted in Kansas and Texas.38

  Carr’s first engagement was almost his last. In pursuit of Comanches in west Texas, Carr impetuously led a charge on a group gathering ponies and galloped far ahead of the troops. Warriors surrounded the young lieutenant and shot him “full of arrows.” The wounds were not serious, but Carr’s exploits found favor with the department commander. In his official report General Persifor Smith expressed admiration for “his [Carr’s] coolness” and recommended him for promotion.39 With the congressional authorization for two new cavalry regiments, Carr received his promotion to first lieutenant in 1855 and transfer to the 1st Cavalry Regiment.

  Action would find Carr again in Kansas as the 1st Cavalry became reluctantly involved in restoring order amidst civil unrest. The sectional crisis erupted into outright civil war in the territory as slave and free-state factions fought over control of the legislature. In the summer of 1856 pro-slave state fanatics ransacked Lawrence killing many free-state advocates and by-standers. In retaliation John Brown hacked several pro-slavery leaders to death with a broadsword at Pottawatomie Creek. President Franklin Pierce called in the 1st Cavalry to restore the pro-slave legislature. Pierce deemed the free-state legislature illegitimate and ordered it disbanded. While Carr personally disagreed with this “mistaken policy” he nevertheless felt compelled to “be on the side of the established government.” 40 Carr’s statement symbolized his dedication to duty, an inseparable aspect of his character.

  The regular army managed to avoid a physical engagement between either faction, but did witness some tense moments. Carr became personally involved as General Winfield Scott assigned him as aide-de-camp to the new territorial governor. As a first-hand spectator of the struggle for Kansas, Carr became irreversibly connected with the sectional issues and the war that erupted from it in 1861.41 He formed his ardent opinions in favor of the Union and governance of the Constitution as a result of his experience and the influence of his father. Clark Carr held exceptionally strong views in favor of the Union cause. On the eve of the Civil War he penned a particularly scathing letter to his son denouncing the nonchalance by which some of the southern states chose to leave the Union.42 Carr’s opinions of the sectional crisis are reflective of his father’s strong assertions against slavery and the right of secession. There is good reason to believe the elder Carr held great sway in the formulation of Eugene’s thoughts on the issue.

  Eugene A. Carr received another promotion on the eve of the Civil War to captain and command of Fort Washita in the Indian Territory. War came to the country as Carr’s garrison patrolled the Southern Plains. In March 1861 orders came from department headquarters to consolidate several posts including Fort Washita in preparation for putting down the expected rebellion. Carr trudged north to Fort Leavenworth with his command—a 500-mile trek—in accordance with the order to bring the frontier army together for the war.43

  Carr made an excellent reputation as a troop commander in several battles during the conflict, particularly at Wilson’s Creek and Pea Ridge. His rise in the army started at Wilson’s Creek while commanding a company of cavalry in Nathaniel Lyon’s small army. Carr led the vanguard of the army, screening its advance. At 6 A.M., July 10 Carr identified the Rebel encampment near the creek and notified his commander Franz Sigel, an officer of German descent appointed for his political connections. Sigel immediately deployed his flanking column for an assault on the unsuspecting Confederates. After enjoying initial su
ccess the Rebels rallied and turned the tables on the bluecoats. Some of the raw levies under Sigel misidentified approaching Confederates wearing blue jackets as friendly and did not fire on their advance. Moving to within ten paces, the blue-clad Rebels decimated Sigel’s lead ranks precipitating a rout. In a letter to his father, Carr related his disgust at Sigel’s amateurish performance. He added that “the Ad’m [Lincoln Administration] makes a terrible mistake in appointing such generals.”44 Major Samuel Sturgis—now in command of the army after Lyon’s fall—called upon Carr to cover the stampede with his regulars. Carr’s 56 cavalrymen successfully fought a running rear guard action allowing the remnants of the army to retreat safely from the field.45 Although Wilson’s Creek was a clear defeat for the North, Carr earned plaudits for his ability to command under fire. In recognition, Lincoln himself released Carr from duties with the 1st Cavalry so that he could accept a commission as colonel of the 3rd Illinois Cavalry proffered by the governor of the state.46

  If Carr’s performance at Wilson’s Creek is described as outstanding, his exploits at Pea Ridge could be characterized as nothing short of brilliant. Pea Ridge would forever mark Carr as one of the best combat commanders in the army as he earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. Samuel R. Curtis assumed command of the remnants of Lyon’s army after Wilson’s Creek and dubbed it the Army of the Southwest. In conjunction with his ascension to command he reorganized the subordinate units and appointed Carr to command of the 4th Division of the army. Curtis boldly launched a winter offensive in February 1862 to clear Missouri of armed Confederates as Lyon had attempted in 1861. By March the Army of the Southwest had nearly bloodlessly forced Sterling Price out of Missouri and “penetrat[ed] … far into the region of secessiondom [sic].” Curtis did not believe the Confederates would “make a stand short of Fort Smith, Ark. beyond the Boston Mountains.”47 However, the Rebels had a new commander in the West that superseded Price and McCulloch. Major General Earl Van Dorn came to Arkansas intent on reversing fortunes and launching an immediate counteroffensive to take back Missouri for the Confederacy. Within three days of taking the reins, Van Dorn turned Price and McCulloch around to strike back at Curtis.